MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is increasing production of air defence missiles, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in video footage released on Tuesday, adding there were “key issues” that needed to be addressed.
The release of the footage by the defence ministry follows hits by drones launched from Ukraine on Russian cities and energy infrastructure while Moscow presses on with its military campaign against Kyiv.
Shoigu was shown inspecting defence industry facilities in the Urals industrial city of Yekaterinburg and touring factories producing sea- and ground-launched cruise missiles and air defence systems.
“There has been a significant increase in the volume of production. We have more than doubled production of the missiles we need for air defence,” he said at one factory.
“But there are some key issues we need to address. And we need to address them quite vigorously. There is the question of engines, and there is the question of the establishment of launcher production.”
The defence ministry published the videos on its Telegram messenger channel.
Russian officials have in recent months flagged rapid improvements in the country’s military industrial capacity, aimed at bolstering Russia’s military in its deadlocked campaign against Ukraine.
Over the recent weeks, attacks, some of which have been claimed by Ukrainian officials or blamed on Kyiv by the Kremlin, have hit Russian cities and oil and gas facilities.
(Writing by Felix Light; Editing by John Davison and Barbara Lewis)
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