MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Defense Ministry plans to replace over 50 percent of foreign products with domestically-built ones as part of its import substitution program which aims to provide alternatives to foreign defense industry components that are no longer available because of Western anti-Russia sanctions.
"If we talk about Ukraine, we will substitute some of their components by 53% by the end of the year," a ministry representative told journalists on Friday, adding that the substitution of all the products will amount to 67 percent.
He stressed that Russia’s defense industry is developing more rapidly amid sanctions imposed against Russia over its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.
"We will construct many outdated units over again by ourselves, we do not need the old Ukrainian ones," the representative said.
