Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, showed he’s a good salesman, offering Russian arms to open markets in Asia, Africa and South America, claiming superiority over Western products. Putin, at an arms show in Moscow, called Russian arms far more advanced, years ahead of the competition, something disputed by U.K. officials. U.K. officials insist that if Russian arms were so superior, why would Putin not be able to conquer Kiev and Khakiv in the early days of the Ukraine War, something Western officials point to Putin’s failure. Ukraine’s 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky points to Putin’s inability to conquer Kiev and Kharkiv as proof of Russian’s military inferiority, including its weapons. Well, to Ukraine’s officials, putting down Putin’s military and arms industry is about the only consolation left for Ukraine, having lost some 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory to the Kremlin.
Russia ranks second to the U.S. in arms sales with about $15 billion in annual sales. Russia sells a wide range of hardware including small arms, armored vehicles, combat aircraft and drones. “Almost all of them have been used more than once in real combat situations” Putin said, touting the sophisticated and high quality of its arms sales. “Many of them are years or maybe decades ahead of their foreign counterparts, and in terms of tactical and technical characteristics they are significantly superior to them,” Putin said about Russian arms compared with their Western competitors. “With the collapse of economic relations wit the West, Russia is even more dependent on the arms trade that it was before, so it’s not surprising that Putin is so keen to promote them to as many non-Western customers as he can,” said Ruth Deyemond, senior lecturer as Kings College War College in London.
Western officials, especially the U.K., have been reluctant to admit Zelensky’s failures against the Russian military. Any look at the map of Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, proves that the Feb. 24 war has not gone well for Ukraine. U.K. and U.S. officials like to dismiss undeniable military accomplishments made by the Russian Federation. U.K. and U.S. officials like to point out that Putin did not capture Kiev and Kharkiv as proof of Russian incompetence. It was clear from the outset of the war that Putin tested the waters in both cities but realized his military should be capturing territory along the Black Sea coast, something far more strategic to Moscow’s military objectives. ”The big problems for his [Putin] is that Russia’s war against Ukraine has been a disaster form Russian military credibility—their performance has been a very poor advertisement for their weapons,” said Deyemond.
Deyemond’s comments are pure U.K. propaganda knowing that the real losses to Kiev over the nearly six-month long conflict. If Putin’s military hardware and soldiers are so incompetent, how has the Russian military taken so much Ukrainian territory? When it comes to losing the entire Black Sea coat and all its ports, where’s the stunning failure that Dyemond and other talk about? According to retired U.S. Gen. Ben Hodges, Russia’s military has a failure rate of 60%. What does that say about Ukraine’s failure rate that’s lost some 25% of sovereign territory? U.S. officials continue to spew the same war propaganda, when the map of Russian territory in Ukraine tells the whole story. All anyone hears from Kiev is how much damage they’ve inflicted on the Russian military but somehow they haven’t recaptured lost territory in Donbas and along the Black Sea Coast.
Russian military hardware has nothing to do with the Russian army’s progress in Ukraine, more related to Ukrainian resistance. “It’s be very concerned as a prospective buyer about the quality of the equipment and the ability of the Russian Federation industry to sustain it,” said Hodges, clearly spewing more propaganda. If the U.K. and U.S. want to claim victory in Ukraine, what does that have to do with Russian arms sales? Russia is the world’s second largest supplier of military hardware, next to the U.S. Many foreign countries in Africa, South America, Asia and elsewhere prefer Russian equipment over the U.S. or U.K. But arguing that no one should by Russian hardware because Putin didn’t capture Kiev or Kharkiv in the first days of the war is preposterous. Russian military hardware has a long history of reliability, much like the U.S. or U.K. arms sales also has its satisfied customers.
When the U.K. and U.S. make such feeble arguments about Russian arms sales, it lets you know how poorly Kiev is doing in defending its sovereign territory in Ukraine. Putting down Russian hardware may sound good to Western sources but it has nothing to do with who’s winning the Ukraine War. All anyone can go on are the detailed maps of Russian-controlled territory, showing that the Kremlin controls the entire Black Sea coast and all of Ukraine’s strategic ports. Whether Ukraine wins back any of the lost territory with the help of advanced U.S. weapons isn’t known. “Step by step, they are liberating the land of Donbas,” Putin said, refuting U.S., U.K. and Kiev propaganda that Russia is failing in Ukraine. If the U.K. or U.S. wants to value Russian military equipment, they need to look no further than the facts on the ground in Ukraine. Ukraine has lost the entire Black Sea coast and all its strategic ports.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
