Medvedev worried about rivals surpassing Russia at modernising Soviet tanks
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has admitted at a meeting of a defence industry working group that Russia’s adversaries in armed aggression are ahead of Russia when it comes to the modernisation of Soviet-era T-72 tanks.
Source: Interfax news agency; Russian state-owned propaganda news agency RIA Novosti
Quote from Medvedev: "The key question of our meeting today is the production, repair and supply of tanks. This is a task of the utmost importance; I have already spoken to some colleagues and drawn their attention to the fact that, for example, our enemies have financed the modernisation of 100 T-72 tanks, I have to emphasise this - not foreign tanks, but T-72s, so that they can be deployed from the Soviet inheritance."
Details: According to Medvedev, Russia is also engaged in the modernisation of tanks, but it must "act faster, more persistently and more effectively".
Medvedev also threatened that the Russian authorities will, if necessary, be forced to apply new penalties for any disruption in fulfilling state defence procurement contracts, including criminal penalties.
Earlier:
- In November, the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic and Ukroboronprom [an association of multi-product enterprises in various sectors of Ukraine’s defence industry – ed.] announced the establishment of a joint defence cluster for the production of military equipment and ammunition, as well as cooperation in the field of repair and development.
- In autumn, a public initiative in the Czech Republic raised more than 1 million euros in just one month to purchase a modernised T-72 for Ukraine; the tank was named Tomas in honour of the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomas Masaryk.
- On 9 January, Petr Fiala, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, personally signed the T-72 tank that would be sent to the Ukrainian military.
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