Russia’s armament
100 tanks a month and drones from the bakery – Putin’s economy is mobilizing
Baking for the front – the bread factory also produces simple drones
© Telegram
Russian industry is being ruthlessly transformed into a war economy. Putin has no concerns, unlike the West, which continues to work as if there is peace.
Putin is mobilizing as the West appears to be losing interest in the Ukraine war. The Russians are still losing people and material, but they can replace them. The respected expert, Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian Armed Forces, recently said on n-tv that Putin would not run out of soldiers even if no reservists were drafted. It is currently successful Russia to mobilize enough men without coercion.
British intelligence estimates that Russia produces more than 100 battle tanks every month. This assessment confirms statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This will compensate for the current losses. The Russians have managed to significantly reduce their tank losses compared to the first year of the war in 2022, according to the British on X (formerly Twitter). Their bleak conclusion is that while recent offensives have yielded only small gains for the Russians on the ground, they can “continue this level of offensive activity into the foreseeable future.”
The Russian Defense Ministry reports that the Ural Transmash arms factory has increased production of self-propelled howitzers sixfold since 2022. The West now assumes that Russia will produce more than two million artillery shells in 2024, twice as many as previously estimated.
The war is priority
These are just the headlines from a few days. The numbers are frightening and are not static. The Putin state is not letting up in its efforts. The economy continues to be trimmed to a war economy. For Putin, the war in Ukraine is a question of life and death. Unlike in the West, there is no question of how sensible such an alignment is or what should be done with the capacities when the war is over.
There are two moments in this economic transformation. First, the classic arms industry. During the Putin era, these companies were combined into huge corporations. All under the influence of the Kremlin. These “state-owned enterprises” have proven to be far more efficient and adaptable than assumed in the West. They found ways to circumvent the sanctions imposed by Ukraine supporters. The experiences at the front were integrated into ongoing production. And the companies were able to massively increase production.
The Putin state is repeating the miracle of Soviet armament in World War II. At that time it was possible to evacuate almost all heavy industry from the areas conquered by the Germans and to rebuild the factories in Siberia. Nobody would have believed that today’s Russian heavy industry would have such enthusiasm.
The Kremlin is discovering small companies
Even more surprising than the new version of the Stalin erais an approach that can be seen in drone production. During the Putin era, one got the impression that the Kremlin was concentrating solely on large and heavy industry, armaments and raw materials. There was a lack of understanding for light industry and smaller companies. Maybe because oligarchs who control huge gas fields had no interest in small businesses.
That has changed. The Kremlin has now managed to integrate a large number of companies that traditionally have nothing to do with armaments into the war economy. Like the Tambov bakery. In addition to baked goods, small Beka drones are assembled here. The bakery became known through a state television report for which the drones were placed on a conveyor belt next to the bread. The post put the bread factory on the US sanctions list. To support the front line, the bakery has purchased a professional 3D printer to produce the drone frame. The other components are ordered online, almost everything comes from abroad. Then the drone just needs to be put together. Strictly speaking, the final assembly could also be done at home. According to the TV report, the bakery produces at least 250 drones with remote control and camouflage backpacks every month. She is said to have already found eight imitators in the area.
On an industrial scale, one can see the expansion of defense production in the manufacture of the Lancet drones. The drone is considered the most dangerous tank killer in this war. It is manufactured in a former shopping center in Izhevsk. Already in February 2023, the Russian Ministry of Trade said that more than 500 light industrial enterprises had switched to producing military equipment. Companies that specialized in camping now sew army sleeping bags. An ice hockey stick manufacturer makes bulletproof vests. The Kremlin encourages the purchase of the necessary equipment and guarantees reasonable prices.
Slogans from the Stalin era in a modern version
And apparently the Putin narrative of “Great Patriotic War 2.0” is getting caught up. There is war weariness and determined opponents of the war, but they do not dominate the mood in the country. Old women who survived the blockade of Leningrad proudly told the German TV camera that they were volunteering to support the “boys” at the front. “We are witnessing a glimpse of a whole-of-society, large-scale volunteer effort across Russia,” Samuel Bendett, an expert in autonomous weapons at the Center for Naval Analyzes, told the Financial Times. The propaganda of the Stalin era is reactivated down to the last detail. In a modern guise, they activate the reflexes of the past. There are appeals on TV to volunteer in the factories. Working people report for an additional shift per week. Schoolchildren learn to assemble weapons.
However, not everything goes according to plan in Putin’s empire. There is a lack of cruise missiles and rockets for a comprehensive air offensive against Ukrainian infrastructure this year. When it comes to helicopters and combat aircraft, new production cannot compensate for the losses.