Putin stated that Russia confidently holds leading positions in the global arms market, noting sales exceeding $70 billion during an official awards ceremony.
The Russian President emphasized that this export volume does not impede the needs of the armed forces participating in the invasion of Ukraine for over four years, nor the needs of the country's state services.
He noted that defense enterprises have significantly increased production capacity since the so-called special military operation, which the Kremlin uses to refer to the war in the neighboring country.
Vladimir Putin specified that the production and supply of weapons and ammunition, including high-precision missiles and shells, have increased by more than 22 times. Furthermore, the military industry continuously supplies the Moscow army with drones, and the production of unmanned devices has also increased many times, and in some cases—dozens of times.
The president's announcement took place on the first day of three days of parliamentary elections to the State Duma, which were the first since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. About 111 million residents from 89 regions are voting in the elections.
Before the start of the election process, Putin addressed the nation, stating that the citizens' choice would demonstrate support for the fighters, emphasizing that they are one people united by common values, historical memory, and love for the homeland. Russians can also vote in 152 countries, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized 333 polling stations, many of which are located in diplomatic missions.
The Kremlin aims for the elections to strengthen public support for the war and has taken steps to prevent any political risks by suppressing the slightest signs of dissent. The main ruling party, United Russia, has effectively guaranteed the preservation of its overwhelming control over the State Duma. A number of small parties from the 'systemic opposition' that support the government on all key issues will also maintain their presence.
Voters cast ballots on two separate ballots: half of the 450 seats in the Duma are chosen by voting for political parties listed on the ballot. The remaining seats are distributed in single-mandate constituencies, where voters choose individual candidates. The only party opposing the war, 'Yabloko', is absent from the ballot after being excluded by the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, about a hundred candidates from 'Yabloko' still have a chance of winning in single-mandate constituencies.
Ukraine today called on the international community not to recognize the results of the legislative elections held by Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian territories, warning of forced Russification aimed at legitimizing control over these regions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyiv states that Ukraine does not recognize either the illegal elections or their 'meaningless' results, citing the vote in the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, as well as the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
These territories account for about 20% of Ukrainian land and are the main front lines since the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in February 2022. A representative of the European Commission, Christian Vighand, called today's voting in Russia-controlled regions 'illegal' and stressed the bloc's condemnation of holding 'falsified elections.' The European Union has already introduced more than 20 packages of sanctions against Moscow in connection with the war in Ukraine.