Russian military industry prepares for a new phase of expansion
Since the start of the war, the Russian leadership has mobilised significant administrative and financial resources to expand the production of weapons and equipment needed for the war. As a result, the military industry currently meets at least the minimum requirements in all areas of armaments. Meanwhile, modernisation continues and new production capacities are being built in various sectors (in 2025, military industry companies mainly hired engineers to commission new equipment). The results of these investments will be visible after more time and will have long-term consequences. After the war, Russia’s military-industrial complex will move on to the next stage of development, with the state continuing to support areas necessary for long-term confrontation. As funding is reallocated, some of the bloated military-related industries will have to reorient themselves or shrink. This will also have consequences for global security – there will be a surplus of weapons that could be used in conflicts around the world.
Import substitution (or technological sovereignty) is one of Moscow’s top priorities and will remain so after the war. Russia has managed to find quite a few alternatives to Western technologies, doing that in a targeted manner. For example, military industry companies are required to prove that there are no alternatives on the Russian market prior to purchasing foreign components.
However, in some areas, particularly electronic components needed for high technology, Russia’s dependence is enormous and long-term. Russia’s modernisation requires high-precision Western-made devices and equipment, the production of which would require decades of investment. Russia is acquiring some of these technologies from China, but the Russian leadership also considers its growing dependence on China to be risky.
Although it is unlikely that Russia will catch up with the West in the field of high technology even in the long term, its technological resilience to Western sanctions is highly likely to increase in the medium term.
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