Russia ranks among top five global arms exporters
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the country's formidable position among global arms exporters. He emphasized that being ranked among the world's top five sellers highlights the quality of Russian-made weapons.
'Russia continues to remain among the top five leaders in the global arms market and maintains its leading export positions in many areas,' Putin said on Friday during a meeting on military and technical cooperation.
The president stated that the order portfolio for Russian military products amounts to tens of billions of dollars, and he called for a further increase in the volume of exports.
Putin highlighted the need to improve cooperation with foreign partners by offering not only specific weapons and equipment but also a broader range of services, in order to boost Russian arms exports in a highly competitive environment.
He noted that such services could include 'technological cooperation and the joint development of advanced models, assistance in their repair and modernization, as well as the supply of spare parts and training of foreign professionals.'
In November, the CEO of Russia's state-run arms agency Rosoboronexport, Aleksandr Mikheev, told Vedomosti newspaper that the nation's export order portfolio remained at a record level of $55 billion in 2024. He noted that the agency signed contracts for the supply of more than 30 types of modern weapons and military equipment to foreign customers.
Earlier this month, the head of the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, said that Rosoboronexport had signed over 20 contracts worth a total of about $7 billion since the beginning of the current year.
In 2024, Russia ranked second in global arms sales, with exports accounting for 12.32% of the international market, according to data compiled by the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT). The US dominated the sector (37.92%), and the other top sellers were France (6.90%), South Korea and Italy (5.10% each).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Russia strikes Ukrainian drone production facilities
Russian forces have launched a combined strike targeting Ukrainian drone and radar manufacturing facilities, as well as munitions depots and equipment storage sites, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in its daily briefing on Tuesday. The list of targets also reportedly included drone storage facilities and launch sites, as well as positions of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries. A total of 142 locations were hit as part of the operation, which involved both missile strikes and drone attacks, the ministry said, without specifying the exact targets. The strikes came two days after a Ukrainian attack on military airfields in five Russian regions across the country, including Siberia and the Far East. Ukrainian media have described the strikes as part of a 'historic' operation dubbed 'Spiderweb,' claiming they caused significant damage to Russian 'strategic aviation.' The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks but said that three of them were successfully repelled without causing damage or casualties, while two resulted in several aircraft catching fire. The ministry did not officially confirm the loss of any aircraft. The statement came as Russian forces continued their offensive operations along the entire front line. Russian troops have maintained the initiative on the battlefield for several months. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military took control of the village of Andreevka in Sumy Region, according to the briefing. Ukrainian forces reportedly lost over 1,500 soldiers across various parts of the front, along with around two dozen artillery pieces. In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow's intention to create a 'security buffer zone' along the border, following the successful repulsion of a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Region. He first floated the idea last year, stating it was intended to protect civilians from Kiev's long-range strikes. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out attacks on civilians, organizing sabotage operations, and plotting assassinations of senior officials, journalists, and public figures. Recent acts of railway sabotage in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions were 'terrorist attacks' planned by Ukraine to cause maximum civilian casualties, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday.
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Biden said ‘Russia should be destroyed' – Brazil's Lula
Former US President Joe Biden wanted to see Russia 'destroyed' during his time in office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in an interview with Le Monde. The Brazilian leader, who has consistently pushed for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, objected to attempts to single out Moscow as the sole culprit behind the conflict, telling the French newspaper on Tuesday that 'Western countries also bear part of the responsibility.' 'Joe Biden, with whom I spoke at length, thought Russia needed to be destroyed,' Lula said, without elaborating when the conversation took place. 'And Europe, which for a long time embodied a middle way in the world, has now aligned itself with Washington and is spending billions on rearmament. That worries me. If all we talk about is war, there will never be peace.' Moscow has long described the Ukraine conflict as a Western proxy war against Russia and has repeatedly condemned arms supplies to Kiev as counterproductive to the peace process. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg acknowledged last week that President Vladimir Putin was 'in a way' right, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also previously characterized the conflict as a proxy war. 'Frankly, it's a proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, helping Ukraine, and Russia,' Rubio said in March, noting that the current White House administration is eager to see it end. Trump has repeatedly rebuked his predecessor, Joe Biden, for funneling 'crazy' amounts of American taxpayer money to Kiev, arguing last month that the conflict 'should have remained a European situation.' Trump has frequently used campaign rallies to claim that only he could prevent World War III and resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours – a claim he later acknowledged was hyperbolic. His efforts to mediate have faced resistance from European NATO members, who back continued military support for Ukraine. Last month, following pressure from Trump, Kiev dropped its opposition to direct talks with Moscow, which it had abandoned back in 2022. Since then, the two sides have held two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul. The first meeting was initiated by Putin on May 16 and resulted in a major prisoner swap. During the second round of negotiations on Monday, Kiev and Moscow exchanged draft memorandums outlining a roadmap toward an eventual peace deal. Washington's top diplomat in Türkiye claimed on Tuesday that Trump is running out of patience and appears to be 'at the end of his rope' over the conflict in Ukraine. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that expecting immediate breakthroughs in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would be 'incorrect.'
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia bans World of Tanks game publisher
A Russian court has banned the operations of video game publisher Lesta, citing the owners' support for Ukraine's armed forces, TASS has reported. It's the first such ruling against a gaming company in Russia. Lesta Group is a Russian video game developer and regional publisher of 'World of Tanks' and 'World of Warships.' Based in St. Petersburg, the company has developed games since the early 2000s and was formerly part of Wargaming, the international studio behind World of Tanks. After Wargaming withdrew from Russia and Belarus in 2022 due to Western sanctions, Lesta continued operating its titles independently in the region. On Tuesday, the Tagansky District Court of Moscow granted a request by the Prosecutor General's Office to ban and classify as extremist the activities of Wargaming co-founder Viktor Kisly and Lesta owner Malik Khatazhaev. 'The court orders 100% of the companies' shares to be transferred to the Russian Federation,' Judge Mikhail Strogonov said. The ruling takes effect immediately. A source familiar with the case told TASS the decision was based on the two men's 'material support of the Kiev regime,' saying they had 'financed funds specializing in the purchase of equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.' The ruling reportedly does not affect Lesta Group's operations, its partners, or its users. 'The group will continue to develop and operate its products. User support and company operations remain stable,' the source said, adding that Kisly and Khatazhaev no longer hold any rights to the company. In a statement on Telegram, Lesta Group confirmed the ruling did not apply to the company itself or its users and said services would continue without disruption. It added that the firm would come under temporary state administration – a move that, it noted, would not have been possible had the company been formally banned. Lesta said it planned to appeal what it called an 'unfair' decision.
