Putin says Russian weapons 'decades ahead of foreign analogues'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed on Monday the Russian weapons, saying some are "decades ahead of foreign analogues."

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Army-2022 military forum and an international military competition, the 2022 Army Games, Putin said: "Our people are proud of their army and navy, the professionalism and courage of their defenders. At all times, they have reliably guarded the sovereignty and security of the Motherland, brought freedom to other peoples."

"And today, during a special military operation, our soldiers, together with the Donbass fighters, honorably fulfill their duty, fight for Russia, for peaceful life in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, clearly fulfill all the tasks set – step by step liberate the land of Donbass," he added.

Welcoming foreign guests, Putin noted that over the years, the Army forum has proved its importance and gained its place among the world's biggest military exhibitions.

He also thanked the Russian weapons developers, saying the modern weapons "are working for the victory and technological and industrial development" of Russia, and are valued for their "reliability, quality, and high efficiency," and added that the military forum gives a good opportunity to get to know some of the state-of-the-art models.

According to Putin, this year, over 1,500 Russian arms producers have presented over 28,000 pieces of their latest military and double-purpose products.

"Of particular interest are promising models and systems that are future-oriented and will determine the "tomorrow" of the armed forces.

"We are talking about high-precision weapons and robotics, about combat complexes based on new physical principles. Many of them are years, and maybe decades ahead of their foreign analogues, and significantly surpass them in terms of tactical and technical characteristics," he said.

- Partnerships

"I want to emphasize that Russia stands for the widest, comprehensive development of military-technical cooperation. Today, in the conditions of a confidently emerging multipolar world, this is especially important," Putin also stressed.

He voiced his appreciation to "allies, partners, like-minded counterparts" on different continents, who "do not bend to the hegemon," but choose a sovereign, independent path of development, want to collectively resolve issues of global and regional security on the basis of international law, mutual responsibility, and consideration of each other's interests, contributing to the protection of a multipolar world.

"Russia sincerely values historically strong, friendly, and truly trusting ties with the states of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. We are ready to offer our allies and partners the most modern types of weapons – from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, combat aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles," he said.

Noting the country's plans about strengthening cooperation and work with foreign partners in the military domain, Putin said: "We also see great prospects in the training of foreign servicemen, improving their qualifications."

"As before, we invite our allies and partners to participate in joint command and staff exercises and other types of exercises. Such trainings, working out complex combat training tasks are important for improving military skills and the quality of military management, for improving tactics and coherence of units and formations.

"I am convinced that by developing broad military-technical cooperation, combining our efforts and potentials, we will be able to ensure reliable security and stability of our countries and the world as a whole," he said.

The Army-2022 will last till Aug. 21, with foreign militaries of more than 37 countries taking part, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

The forum takes place in parallel with the international military competition the 2022 Army Games, comprising 34 contests on the territories of 12 states. This year, teams from 22 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America have officially confirmed their participation.