NATO Official: Russia is Ramping Up Production of Equipment “of Sufficient Quality” for Combat Operations

According to NATO officials, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia lost between 4,000 and 9,000 tanks and about 20,000 other armored vehicles. At the same time, the Russian economy and industry have adapted to the production of equipment of “sufficient quality” for use in combat.

This was stated by a senior NATO official during a media briefing, a Militarnyi correspondent reports.

“They actively ”cannibalized” Soviet systems, disassembling old machines to keep others in working order. But now, in many cases, these stocks have run out. Instead, the Russian economy has completely switched to war footing, so they are increasing the production of the weapons they need,” he said.

The issue at hand is not high-tech weapons, but equipment of “sufficient quality” for combat operations.

“Despite the huge losses, the Russian defense industry has gradually resumed production, now producing about 130 tanks a month [ed. note: likely includes refurbished units from storage], or about 1,600 units a year,” the NATO official said.

This adaptability, according to the NATO official, will allow the Russians to have even “more modern and capable forces” as they will meet the challenges of the modern battlefield.

Because of this, according to the representative of the Alliance, even after the end of the conflict and the exhaustion of resources, Russia will remain a military force “to be reckoned with.”