Sanctions Will Hurt Russia's Rearmament Plans

Russia is now in the fourth year of its ambitious state armament program, which aims to modernize 70 percent of Russia's aging military equipment by 2020. After a hesitant start, the annual volume of new weapon procurement is now increasing quite rapidly.

But recent developments in Ukraine pose the question of whether the momentum of arms modernization can be maintained.

First, there is the direct impact of the breakdown of relations with Ukraine; second, the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, Japan and Australia.

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