Despite Unprecedented Pressure, Russia sold Arms to 51 Countries: Top Official

Despite unprecedented pressure (in the form of sanctions), Russia exported weapons to 51 countries and fulfilled multibillion-dollar contracts, according to the head of the Russian agency for military technical cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugaev.

Shugaev said Russia’s partners are primarily from Asian and African regions. “Our competitors are still increasing their influence on our partners. We are facing unprecedented pressure and are witnessing that our partners are under very, very serious pressure. There is strong competition for arms export,” he said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“But we take into account the interests of our old partners and, of course, strive to establish good relations with new ones, we enter their position. As they say, military-technical cooperation sometimes loves silence, too,” he said.

The head of FSMTC also explained that arms export suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Marketing activities were seriously affected. For example, almost all international exhibition events were curtailed. One exception was our Army -2020 Forum held in Kubinka. That was the only major international event that took place last year.”

The U.S. slaps sanctions under Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against countries that buy military equipment from Russia. Turkey, a NATO-ally, was also not spared for its purchase of S-400 missile systems.

“Due to Western sanctions, Rosoboronexport does not use dollars in payments for weapons contracts, the head of the company,” Alexander Mikheev, told Interfax on June 4.  "When executing our contracts, we mainly switched to freely convertible currencies, except for the dollar, as well as alternative payment schemes, including in rubles," Mikheev added.