The war in Ukraine has created an unexpected problem for Russia’s allies, as historic Western sanctions against Moscow are likely to undermine its role as a reliable exporter of military equipment, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.

In its assessment Thursday morning, the London-based ministry said that even before President Vladimir Putin launched the war last year, Russia’s share of the arms market and arms exports had been declining, and that now, given the conflict in Ukraine, Moscow is almost certain to focus on arms own troops at the expense of the supply of external partners.

“Component shortages are likely to affect the production of equipment for export, such as armored vehicles, attack helicopters and air defense systems,” said an assessment prepared by Britain’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday based on reports received by intelligence services in London. .

It also noted that Western sanctions and Russia’s wartime needs could seriously affect the maintenance and support of equipment already exported by Russia, a situation likely to persist for at least 3 years given Russia’s current industrial capacity.

Russia was preparing to send its most modern tank to the front

The new assessment of the Ministry of Defense in London appeared after it noted on January 19 that due to the loss of its armored forces, Russia is preparing to throw the most modern T-14 “Armata” tanks into battle in Ukraine. of which is available, but such a decision is associated with high risk due to several problems associated with them.

According to the British, any deployment of the T-14 is likely to be a risky decision for Russia. During its eleven years of development, the program was plagued by delays, reductions in the planned number of units, and reports of production problems. An additional challenge for Russia is adapting its logistics chain to work with the T-14, as it is larger and heavier than other Russian tanks.

“If Russia is going to deploy the T-14, it is probably primarily for propaganda purposes. Production is likely to be only a few dozen copies, and commanders are unlikely to trust this machine in combat,” the Ministry of Defense in London said last month.

Admiral Hervé Blejean, the chief of staff of the European Union, estimated in early January that Russia had lost 60% of its total stockpile of battle tanks since the start of the war in Ukraine.

According to him, 40% of the transport equipment of the Russian army and 20% of the artillery were also “disabled”.

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