By Peter Apps
LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - At this week's "Army 2024" defence fair on the outskirts of Moscow, dozens of Russian arms firms showcased their latest military equipment, telling visitors from across Asia, Africa and beyond that Russia´s combat experience during the invasion of Ukraine now makes their products amongst the most battle-tested in the world.
According to a March report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russian arms exports to foreign nations dropped by 52% between 2022 and 2023, largely as a consequence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, Russia´s defence industry has been largely focused on domestic military production to support operations in Ukraine, a massive effort to build new missiles, drones and CNC metal machining shells and recondition ageing Soviet-era tanks, vehicles and artillery to replace massive Russian losses.