ZHUKOVSKY, August 14./ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has described the western sanctions against Russia as politically motivated, adding that he sees no chances they may be lifted in the short term.

While speaking at a session of the forum Oboronexpo-2014 in Zhukovsky, near Moscow on Thursday Rogozin said the sanctions that followed the Ukrainian crisis were rather an attempt to stem the country’s technological surge, its development, in the first place, the development of the industrial high-tech complex.

“Regrettably, the range of sanctions keeps expanding groundlessly: the first package, the second package, third package... We know well how to count at least to ten. How far these sanctions against the Russian defense industries and financial and lending organizations may go is anyone’s guess,” he said.

Rogozin is certain the Russian policy in the context of sanctions should not pursue last-minute-time serving aims.

“A new strategy of economic development should be the issue of the day. Reliance on industry, on our own resources. This should be nakedly clear to one and all. Even if there had not been these sanctions we would have to turn this way.”

Rogozin explained that Russia by no means sought to create an iron curtain or close itself to Western partners.

“Of course, plunging the country into self-isolation, drawing an iron curtain is no task of ours. From the standpoint of technologies, not even defence, that would be a disaster,” he said. “We have no wish to turn our back on foreign partners. We are prepared for cooperation.”

Rogozin welcomed those foreign partners, who despite the unfavourable political climate have agreed to attend Oboronexpo-2014.

“I would like to say that any large company that will retain relations of partnership with Russian arms manufacturers and other industries will enjoy special support from the military-industrial commission and me personally.”

 

Russia's weaponry production

The entire chain of components production and delivery should be localized in Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

 Analysis of substituting imported components from Ukraine, the EU and NATO is planned to be completed by November, he said.

"We are doing a very thorough analysis," he said.

“The chain of unit and component production and delivery to customers without delays should be localized in the Russian territory,” he told Oboronexpo-2014 forum.

All military-purpose products and sensitive technologies should be localized in Russia as “in the current geopolitical situation we can no more depend on the whims and mood swings of our partners”, Rogozin added. These partners, he said, “do not confirm their status of real, not opportunistic and wavering partners”.

Until all components production was localized in Russia, some reliable supply channels were necessary, Deputy Prime Minister added. Systemic substitution of defense components imported from the West was a serious challenge for the present generation of managers, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs and scientists, he said.

Russian industry needed not only to find replacement for import but develop promising arms independent of import, said Rogozin.

“Our task now is not just to replace obsolete Ukrainian and Western products,” he said adding some Ukrainian components were developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970-80s. “Our priority is to modernize the industry and develop promising military and special equipment independent of import.”

Import substitution “is not replacing some imports with others”, Rogozin added.

“Who thinks so, does not think at all. Import substitution policy should stimulate new design solutions and new technological developments,” he said.

The government placed a clear emphasis on detecting and eliminating bottle necks in the chain of material, components and equipment development and production that could threaten planned functioning of strategic sectors in case of unfavourable international cooperation scenarios, Rogozin said.

An adequate mechanical engineering complex along the whole chain from materials, components, instruments and machines to systems should be created parallel to the development of each strategically important sector, he added.