"Next will be bikes": the expert told about military equipment in the Russian Federation

This was stated in an interview with an expert of the Center for Defense Strategies Viktor Kevlyuk, emphasizing the key features and difficulties of defense production of the Russian Federation in the conditions of sanctions and restrictions. Kevlyuk estimates that the monthly renewal of tanks in Russia is about 150-160 units. Of these, only about 30% are new machines collected from scratch, while the rest are restored tanks or storage tanks.

The pace of production allows the Russian Federation to restore to 1920 tanks a year, which in theory covers combat losses. At the same time, Oryx analytical site estimates Russian tanks at 3494 units during a conflict, which emphasizes that current rates are currently compensating for these losses. However, the Russian side is forced to use outdated samples because machines of the 60's release are sent to the front. While Ukrainian forces receive more modern models from Western allies.

The Russian military industry faces a shortage of critical components, including tank sights and air defense. Earlier, Russia purchased optical sights in France, but sanctions were forced to switch to the Belarusian enterprise "Peleng", which is able to produce up to 145 sights "pine" and 40 new "pine-y" annually. This makes it possible to maintain some sights in the stock, but production levels are limited.

Particularly difficult is the situation with the production of artillery barrels, which requires high -precision equipment. Russia is faced with a lack of machines for cutting and drilling of the barrels, and attempts to buy such machines through third countries do not allow to cover the need for artillery systems. The lack of skilled labor is also a significant problem for the Russian defense complex, the expert said.

In response to this in 2023 in the area of ​​"Uralvagonzavod" began to build an area to attract specialists among prisoners. The situation with the production of air defense remains difficult. The Russian Federation tries to compensate for the deficiency of electronic components at the expense of illegal supply, but this slows down the process. And the involvement of Russian air defense means in the help of allies, such as Iran, adds tension.

So, several C-300 installations have recently been transferred to Tehran, but they were soon destroyed as a result of the Israeli attack, which requires additional resources for recovery. According to the UK Ministry of Defense, Russian tanks and armored vehicles can be exhausted until the fall of 2025. In addition, despite attempts to increase production and involve Belarusian experts for MiG-29 repair, further prospects look limited.

Thus, according to Kevlyuk, the collapse of the defensive complex of Russia should not be expected, but stagnation associated with a shortage of components and skilled labor is inevitable. "British intelligence gives an assessment that the enemy exhausts the stocks of its armored equipment - it is a tanks and combat armored vehicles - until the fall of 2025. Further, apparently, cavalry, bicycles that can still be . . . electric spaces we have already seen", " - The expert summed up.