Decline of Russian arms in the global market amid Ukraine conflict
Russia's share in the global arms trade is declining. Russian arms exports have already decreased by half, and Russian companies have nothing to offer abroad - all production is going to the front lines. At the same time, interest in Russian weapons, whose weaknesses have been starkly exposed by the war in Ukraine, is decreasing.
Just five years ago, Russia accounted for 21 percent of the global arms trade. Currently, according to data from SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), this share has decreased to just 11 percent and is continuing to fall. This is a direct result of the conflict in Ukraine.
On one hand, Russians have nothing to offer foreign clients - the weapons produced are needed at the front. On the other hand, foreign customers are losing interest in the offerings of Russian firms: five years ago, there were 31 countries, whereas now - only 13. Russia is losing billions of pounds in this way.
Regardless of the current situation at the front, the confrontation between Western and Russian weapons clearly shows the superiority of the West, whose equipment is not only more modern but - above all - significantly more effective at protecting the lives of the crew.
See also: Is it NATO equipment or Russian?
Russian weapons inferior to Western counterparts
The list of weaknesses and flaws in Russian equipment is highlighted by the Milmag service. These flaws include primarily inferior protection for the lives of crews and troops, provided by tanks and armored vehicles. Russian systems of passive and active defense also failed to pass the front-line test, not providing the protected vehicles with the required level of safety.
Russian missile systems have also been discredited. The "superweapon," which was supposed to be the hypersonic missile Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, ended up being a modified Iskander missile, which Western air defense systems find easy to intercept. This discrediting has resulted in, among other things, China's decision to stop purchasing this type of weapon and to start building its own equivalent.
The loss of the Indian market is also noteworthy: New Delhi is considering withdrawing from the already ordered S-400 anti-aircraft systems, and also replacing Russian Il-76 transport aircraft with a Western alternative. Additionally, in the realm of carrier-based aviation, India is choosing the French Rafale over Russian planes.
Russia dependent on foreign suppliers
Similar conclusions have been reached by countries that until recently were considered natural buyers of Russian equipment, like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which are opting out of Russian planes.
As Milmag emphasizes, this is not only due to the characteristics of the equipment itself but also due to Russia's unreliability in terms of providing service or supplying spare parts.
A measure of the Russian defense sector's decline is the growing dependence on foreign supplies. SIPRI notes that Russia is purchasing weapons and components for their production from its former clients, becoming dependent on countries such as North Korea and Belarus.
