Russia pays the costs of invading Ukraine. It loses money in the arms trading market

Russia is paying the costs of the invasion. What undermined its credibility?

Russia is slowly disappearing from it. However, the Stockholm Institute does not answer the question why this decline in its arms exports occurred. Currently, the Kremlin sends 68 percent. To Asian countries, where the largest importers are traditionally India and China.

But experts point out that both China and India are significantly reducing their purchases from Russia. Beijing is abandoning most of its supplies and switching to supplying its army with its own production. India is also focusing on developing its own industry. For the first time since the 1960s, imports from Russia to India account for less than half of its foreign arms purchases.

– It's not a big surprise. India's experience in cooperation with Russia is not good. For example, interest in purchasing submarines declined in 2013 with the explosion and sinking of a ship purchased from Russia near Mumbai, killing 18 Indian crew members, recalls expert Stefan Heldund.

Meanwhile, India is “looking around the world” (as analysts call it) and now wants to buy in Europe – in Germany and France (for example, aircraft). Another country considered a friend of Russia – Serbia – is doing something similar. Since the middle of the last decade, Belgrade has increasingly requested weapons from France (including aircraft) at the expense of supplies from Moscow.

Hildund believes that the development of the situation indicates that Belgrade may be abandoning its traditional friend and arms supplier. Although the alliance of the Serbian and Russian intelligence services remains close. Another traditional customer, Egypt, is also reducing its purchases in Russia. Despite the continued flow of cheap and simple Russian weapons to Africa.