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| Vietnamese Air Force SU-30 Flanker (File Photo) |
By Benjamin David Baker
Moscow’s dominance of the regional arms market is no longer guaranteed.
Russia has long been an established international weapons exporter. Russian weapons are present in almost all war zones today, and fill arsenals in states as varied as Poland, Iran, and Venezuela. Mozambique has even put the ubiquitous Russian-designed AK-47 in its flag. According to SIPRI’s 2014 statistics [PDF], Moscow remains the second-largest arms exporter in the world, trumped only by the U.S.A.
However, it seems like business might be getting worse these days. Many of Moscow’s traditional customers are either trying to develop their own indigenous weapons or have been cut off from Russian military hardware all together due to sanctions. Almost all of the European states that used to be allied with the Soviet Union, and therefore large recipients of Soviet/Russian armaments, are increasingly buying western-made equipment (with the notable exception of Belarus). While this has been an ongoing trend for several years, it is interesting to note that the last transfer of Russian weaponry to a former Soviet satellite in Europe, in this case Poland, took place in 2014, just before NATO/EU imposed sanctions on Moscow came into effect following Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine.
To compensate for the loss of western export markets—not only for its weapons, but also for its crucial hydrocarbons and rare earths—Russia has attempted to strengthen its economic ties with Asian states, especially China. One very obvious example of this is the massive oil and gas deal signed last year.
Read the full story at The Diplomat