Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday expressed firm belief that his country retains the technological upper hand in the air war against Ukraine.
Speaking at the St Peterburg International Economic Forum, Putin insisted that there is parity between the two countries in the field of drones, although in some areas Russia is ahead, contrary to expert assessments.
He claimed Ukraine is unable to manufacture high-quality weapons and is completely dependent on supplies from abroad.
Putin went on to say that, unlike Ukraine, Russia has a functioning air defence system. He noted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s regular complaints about the shortage of air defence missiles against Russian missiles and cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, military observers note that Russian air defences, particularly in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, are overstretched by Kiev’s constant drone attacks and have already been largely put out of action in some places.
Putin has urged his military take more effective measures to neutralize Ukrainian drones.
Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has systematically targeted its cities and towns with missiles and explosive drones, causing numerous civilian casualties.
However, increasingly sophisticated, longer-range Ukrainian drones are now causing major damage deep inside Russia – particularly to the oil industry.
At the forum, the Russian government admitted that oil production had fallen since the start of the year.