March 22, 2026

Weird Flex, but Ok


Weird Flex, but Ok
The new ones are pretty pricey. Or, you can get a burned-out one that's been sitting in a Ukrainian field for two years for dirt cheap. The Russian Life files

On March 19, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying that the "price-quality ratio" of Russian military products is a "significant competitive advantage" for the country's defense industry.

We're a little skeptical.

For one, the quality of Russian military equipment has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After a promised three-day special military operation, Russian forces were rebuffed from the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, and the conflict devolved into a slog. Russian forces, and the weapons they used, proved inadequate to force a quick capitulation. Poor-quality tech is also apparent when one considers that, during the recent American intervention in Venezuela, Russian and Chinese anti-aircraft systems failed to activate at all as U.S. helicopters and planes entered the airspace and whisked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro away.

The money is another issue altogether. Russian defense products are cheaper, that is true; fighter jets cost only 70% of their Western counterparts, and some sources say tanks can be a third the price or even less. Yet the sheer volume of wartime production in Russia has created economic distortions that could cause a widespread collapse. And Ukrainian drone warfare has created a hard-to-counter tool to crack tanks or take out bunkers for a few hundred dollars a pop. Russia's defense industry has been scrambling to protect against drones, with some fascinating (and kind of goofy) results.

In short: You get what you pay for.

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