ISTANBUL

Russia is ahead of the Western countries in terms of arms production, the country’s deputy prime minister said early Monday.

“I don’t want to boast, but I can say that we began to gain and picked up the pace of production earlier than the Western countries,” Denis Manturov said in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA.

Manturov, who is also Russia’s industry and trade minister, said that a question in this regard is how long this race will last in principle.

Noting that they are working within the framework of the state’s armament program and a long-term program involving the period between 2025 and 2034, Manturov said his ministry and the Russian Defense Ministry are “actively working to verify and prepare these parameters.”

Manturov also said that the production and supply of weapons to the Russian army in 2023 has increased by 10-12 times for several items.

“For a number of items, we have increased production and supply volumes by 10-12 times. Due to certain nuances, I cannot talk about the specific range of supplies and financing, but believe me, the numbers are huge,” he added.