Ukraine War Live Ticker +++ 16:58 Putin to further expand arms industry
Expansion of Russia's Military Arsenal Remains a Key Focus for Putin
Hey there! Time for another update on the Ukraine war situation, especially concerning Russia's plans to expand its arms industry.
Putin's intentions
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to further grow the arms industry as a key component of his nation's economy, taking combat experiences from the war in Ukraine into consideration. Meanwhile, the war itself is noticeably absent from Putin's speech at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. Moscow is urged to abandon the traditional divisions between civilian and pure arms companies, with Putin emphasizing the need to quickly apply technological and organizational innovations from the civilian sector to the defense and security realms.
Cooperation with allies
Russia is also planning to collaborate with friendly states on developing arms projects, aiming to jointly produce weapons, and train personnel for these endeavors.
Peskov's comments on Putin's speech
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov described Putin's speech at the economic forum as "very informative, long, and comprehensive."
Recent developments in Russia's arms industry
- Boost in Tank and Drone Production
- Russia has significantly increased the production of modern tanks, with the T-90M seeing an annual production of about 280 units in 2024, up from pre-war rates of around 60–70 per year in 2022.
- The drone sector has experienced rapid growth, with manufacturing capacity reaching levels capable of launching up to 140 drone attacks per day as of early 2025.
- Military Reforms and Security Measures
- The Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) is expanding its role, especially by reinforcing infrastructure security, possibly as a response to Ukrainian drone operations.
- These changes are partly motivated by the need to address internal security and adaptability issues following the Wagner Group mutiny in 2023.
- Economic and Fiscal Implications
- Russia's defense budget has skyrocketed, with 2025 national defense expenditures reaching roughly 13.5 trillion rubles ($145 billion). This represents nearly double the pre-war figure and surpasses US defense spending rates.
- This sharp increase in military spending led to two years of economic growth, but the overall economy is now experiencing the limits of labor shortages, productivity constraints, and inflationary pressures, with signs of economic fatigue and risk of recession as the costs of prolonged war continue to mount.
- The community policy in this context could be about the Russian government's intention to collaborate with friendly states on developing arms projects, as mentioned in the text.
- The employment policy here could be the shift Russian President Vladimir Putin is advocating by urging Moscow to abolish traditional divisions between civilian and pure arms companies, and the need to apply technological and organizational innovations from the civilian sector to the defense and security realms.
