Russia's arms exports undermined by Ukraine invasion, MOD says

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the international sanctions placed on Moscow, are "highly likely" to be undermining Russia's role as a reliable arms exporter, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has said.

In the latest defence intelligence update, the MOD said even before the invasion, Russia's arms exports and "share of the international arms market" was in decline.

"Now, when faced with conflicting demands, Russia will almost certainly prioritise deploying newly produced weapons with its own forces in Ukraine over supplying export partners," the MOD tweeted.

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"A shortage of components is likely affecting the production of equipment for export, such as armoured vehicles, attack helicopters, and air defence systems.

"In addition, Russia's ability to sustain support services for existing export contracts, such as providing spare parts and maintenance, is likely to be seriously disrupted for at least the next three to five years."

It comes after the MOD previously tweeted Russian troops in Ukraine were reluctant to accept main battle tanks in Ukraine because they were in such poor condition.

In a defence update last month, the MOD said Russia had worked to "prepare a small number of T-14 Armata main battle tanks for the type's first operational deployment in Ukraine".

Whilst they said it was unclear what specifically prompted the reaction from Russian forces, Russian officials "publicly described problems with the T-14's engine and thermal imaging systems".