Ignoring Ukraine setbacks, Putin boasts of Russian weapons prowess

LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that Moscow was able to promote superior weapons to allies globally and cooperate in creating navy know-how, practically six months into the Ukraine battle by which his military has carried out worse than anticipated.

With the Russian chief’s forces overwhelmed again from Ukraine’s two largest cities and making gradual headway, at heavy price, within the east of the nation, the battle has up to now not proved to be a convincing showcase for Russia’s arms trade.

But the Kremlin chief, addressing an arms present outdoors Moscow, insisted Russian weaponry was years forward of the competitors.

Russia cherished its sturdy ties with Latin America, Asia and Africa, “and is ready to offer partners and allies the most modern types of weapons – from small arms to armoured vehicles and artillery, combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles”, he stated.

“Almost all of them have been used more than once in real combat operations.”

He stated Russia might provide new fashions and methods – “we’re speaking about high-precision weapons and robotics, about fight methods primarily based on new bodily rules.

“Many of them are years, or perhaps many years forward of their overseas counterparts, and in phrases of tactical and technical traits they’re considerably superior to them.”

Western military analysts have suggested that what they cast as the poor performance of Russian troops and weaponry in Ukraine could make Moscow’s arms exports less attractive to potential buyers, such as India, which have heavily relied on its technology in the past.

Ukraine has made effective use of U.S.-supplied weaponry, especially HIMARS advanced rocket systems, and Russia has taken a series of major blows, including devastation of an airbase in the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula last week.

Nevertheless, Putin stated the forces of Russia and its proxies within the Donbas area of japanese Ukraine have been fulfilling all their duties.

“Step by step they’re liberating the land of Donbas,” he said.

The speech formed part of a pattern of statements since the Feb. 24 invasion in which Putin and Sergei Lavrov, his foreign minister, have talked up the potential for Russia to cooperate with allies like China, India, Iran and others to build a new international order no longer dominated by the United States.

“I wish to emphasize that Russia stands for the broadest complete improvement military-technical cooperation. Today in situations of confidence within the rising multipolar world, that is particularly vital,” Putin stated.

“We extremely respect the truth that our nation has many like-minded allies and companions on completely different continents. These are the states that don’t succumb to the so-called hegemon, their leaders present an actual masculine character and don’t bend.”

Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Osborn

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