Putin calls for more speed in Russian weapons production for war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told the country’s military industry chiefs to improve production to ensure the Russian army quickly obtains all the necessary weapons and equipment for the country’s war against Ukraine. .

Putin made the comments during a visit to Tula, a Russian weapons manufacturing hub.

“The most important key task of our military-industrial complex is to provide our front-line units and forces with everything they need: weapons, equipment and ammunition in the necessary quantities and of the right quality in the shortest possible time,” Putin said.

“It is also important to significantly refine and improve the technical characteristics of weapons and equipment for our fighters based on the combat experience we have gained,” he added.

The Russian president said this week that the country’s army must learn from its mistakes in Ukraine, pledging to give what it takes to continue the invasion that began about 10 months ago.

Since tens of thousands of Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Moscow has lost about half of the Ukrainian territory initially occupied by Russian forces.

Russia still controls a significant part of Ukraine, however, and Putin has said Moscow will prevail despite Ukrainian resistance and Kiev receiving billions of dollars in arms, military intelligence and other forms of aid from the West.

This week, the Russian president declared that the state will ensure that the army’s needs are met, “without funding restrictions”. He pondered, however, that there is no need to “militarize” the economy.

On Friday, Putin told military industry chiefs that he wants to hear proposals on problem solving and that he wants industry experts to work directly with frontline forces to refine weapons and equipment on a regular basis.