Russia's defense industry fails to meet Russian army's needs

In an interview with Ukrinform, Ukraine's First Deputy Minister of Defense, Ivan Havryliuk, shared that at the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia had over 1,300 defense industry facilities with nearly two million employees. However, Russia now lacks hundreds of thousands of skilled workers.

"This shortage arose because Russia began scaling up its weapon production significantly. For certain types of armaments, production volumes increased by 3 to 6 times. Today, Russia remains a leader in producing Soviet-caliber artillery shells," said Havryliuk.

"At the same time, we see that even their defense industry cannot meet all the needs and demands coming from the front. That’s why they are forced to cooperate with North Korea and Iran," he added.

The official also noted that Russia has recognized the value of drones in modern warfare, which is why it has prioritized their development.

"Russia leverages the strengths of its totalitarian state—generous funding and the ability to rapidly deploy production. For instance, they quickly set up mass production of Iranian Shaheds in a specific economic zone," Havryliuk said.

He noted that the Russians are constantly improving their existing models of drones, not only strike ones, with an emphasis on mass production.

When asked whether it’s true that Russia has depleted its Soviet-era weapon reserves, Havryliuk said he didn’t have precise information. However, he emphasized that Russia clearly has problems with key weapon categories.

"Instead of modern tanks, most of the vehicles sent to the front are of Soviet design. The same applies to artillery and multiple rocket launch systems," he said.

The official also stressed that old weapons are still weapons, and for the aggressor, the quantity is what matters most.

"Even T-62 or T-55 tanks are still tanks. The aggressor’s logic is simple – there’s no need to spend on what can be replenished from old stockpiles at a certain stage. The key is quantity," Havryliuk said.

"Moreover, outdated equipment doesn’t require such thorough preparation of combat crews and personnel. The electronics are either non-existent or very simple, which can be easily mastered in a short time," he added.

• Russian army lost another 1,340 of its soldiers, along with hundreds of units of equipment and weaponry, on the Russian-Ukrainian front throughout the day.