All news

Ukraine's refusal to continue military cooperation prompts Russia to create new industries

In general, Vladimir Putin called import substitution in Russia's military-industrial complex "a matter of fundamental importance"

RYBINSK (Yaroslavl Region), April 25. /TASS/. Ukraine’s decision to stop military technical cooperation with Moscow led to creation of new industries in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Military Industrial Commission.

He recalled that until 2014, Russia bought ship engines for the needs of its military-industrial complex in Ukraine.

It is "not our fault that cooperation discontinued, and the possibility of cooperation with our Ukrainian partners vanished."

"We were forced to deal with import substitution and, frankly speaking, we benefitted from it from a technological point of view, because during this period - from December 2014 and to date - we have created a virtually new scientific branch and a new industry of production," the president said.

According to him, as a result, a shift in the schedule for the construction of military ships will be not two years, as it was supposed earlier, but about one year and a half.

"We had different options: to search for imports or combine it [imports and domestic production -TASS]. But we took an alternative decision - to develop these industries in our country and, apparently, we did the right thing, because not only we got a new competence but also completely new enginery, which is more modern than that we used to export before. Its efficiency is 10-15% higher," Putin said, adding that it concerns short-range and long-range ships.

"Unfortunately, cooperation with our partners from Ukraine discontinued, which concerns both ships and aviation engines, but we have already built an enterprise in St. Petersburg, they started to work and actually they meet our needs. We are ready to return to cooperation with our partners in these areas if possible, which does not depend on us, it is important to ensure that appropriate conditions are created for that," the Russian president said.

In general, Putin called import substitution in the military-industrial complex "a matter of fundamental importance".