Moscow Won’t Let Russia’s Defense Industry to Suffer Over Western Sanctions

MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Defense Industry will not suffer because of the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.

“They [Defense companies] will not suffer. Defense sector has always been our national pride, and over the last few years the Defense Industry has got on its feet, and we will not allow it to suffer as a result of someone’s unfriendly actions,” Medvedev said.

Russia will increase the export of arms to countries in Africa and Latin America, Medvedev said during his annual report in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday.

The US, EU and their allies introduced sanctions against several Russian officials and banks after the republic of Crimea and Sevastopol joined the Russian Federation as new federal subjects on March 18 following a referendum.

G7 countries also threatened Russia with sanctions against a number of economic sectors in case of further escalation of the situation in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier said that talking to Russia in the language of sanctions was “inappropriate and counterproductive” and warned its Western partners of the “boomerang effect.”

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