ST. PETERSBURG, June 20. /TASS/. Russia will raise combat capabilities of its Armed Forces on a new technological basis, modernize military infrastructure facilities and outfit them with state-of-the-art equipment, President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

Cheap drones have become an effective means of striking expensive military hardware, the head of state stressed.

"Economic efficiency in security provision is key to addressing tasks in the defense sphere. A bright example here is the introduction of surveillance and control systems based on artificial intelligence that have helped drastically reduce the number of offenses in Moscow, for instance, and also the use of cheap unmanned aerial vehicles that have become an effective means of striking expensive equipment," the Russian president said.

Russia will also take its own negative experience into account, he said. "All these aspects will help make proper decisions in the directions necessary for us," the Russian leader stressed.

"As a whole, our defense sector has gained a good pace, the sector’s enterprises have ramped out output many times over and are mastering new types of armament and military equipment. Let me stress again, we will raise combat capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces on a new technological basis, modernize military infrastructure facilities and outfit them with state-of-the-art armaments and equipment that prove their efficiency in practice, in combat conditions," Putin went on to say.

Russia will also develop cooperation with friendly countries in the military-technical sphere, the head of state said.

"We intend to develop military-technical cooperation with friendly countries. Moreover, this relates not only to the deliveries or upgrade of equipment and armaments but also to joint developments, personnel training and the establishment of enterprises and production capacities on a turnkey basis," the Russian leader said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is taking place on June 18-21. This year, the event is held under the theme "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its information partner.