Russia Should Avoid Buying Foreign Defense Products

YEKATERINBURG, April 20 (RIA Novosti)

Russia should avoid buying foreign military equipment and focus on purchasing technology instead, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy premier in charge of defense industry issues, said on Friday.

"We should not aim at buying foreign defense products because it would result in dependency. No one would ever sell us the most up-to-date and perspective items, only equipment with poor combat characteristics,” he said.

Rogozin added that by purchasing foreign military equipment, Russia “ditches” its own defense industry.

"We don’t need equipment, we need technology and those who have it, that is people,” the deputy prime minister said.

He said that investment into Russia’s defense industry will grow in the next two years.

Russia plans to invest over 20 trillion rubles ($679 billion) until 2020 in rearming the armed forces and military research.