Russia’s friends can benefit from its experience in dealing with Western weapons in the Ukraine conflict, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin has said.
Western nations have provided a vast quantity of weapons to Kiev. Despite their advertised capabilities, “they burn on the battlefield pretty good, with no chance of repair,” Fomin told an audience at the Xiangshan security forum in Beijing on Friday.
”We have acquired know-how in defeating various Western weapon systems and using modern tactics, and are prepared to share this experience with our partners,” he added.
The Ukraine conflict has seen a significant shift in modern warfare, including in the use of drones, communications, and electronic countermeasures, the minister told the audience. The role of tanks and requirements for their protection have been reevaluated, while counter-artillery operations have found a new dimension, Fomin said.
”Russian weapons have fully confirmed their effectiveness in a combat environment,” he stated.
Western arms donors have been providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Ukrainian military, with F-16 fighter jets becoming the latest addition to Kiev’s inventory last month.
Western media had high expectations for Kiev’s “counteroffensive” last year, for which Western donors sent dozens of main battle tanks. The months-long operation failed to result in any significant territorial gains, as Russian defensive lines proved too strong for Ukrainian forces. Kiev accused the West of providing insufficient aid, blaming this for the lackluster results.
Moscow, which considers the Ukraine conflict to be a US-led proxy war against Russia, has organized an exhibition of captured NATO military hardware. The Russian Defense Ministry regularly showcases successful strikes against Western armaments in the context of the Ukraine conflict.
According to Oryx, an open-source analytical center, Kiev has lost at least 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 103 M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 141 M113 armored personnel carriers, 97 M777A2 howitzers, and hundreds of pieces of other heavy weaponry.