Over a thousand defense contractors from Russia present their most advanced and deadliest creations at the seven-day event, with over 80 foreign companies and organizations participating in the expo.
Army-2023 attracted prominent military officials and military-industrial complex players from several countries.
China’s Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu was seen arriving at the expo today, accompanied by an entourage of Chinese military officers.
Austria’s former Minister for European and Foreign Affairs Karin Kneissl who attended the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security held today, suggested that this apparent interest in the Army-2023 expo highlights the fact that Russia has once again become a “pole of attraction” on the global arena.
She pointed out that a number of countries in the Global South now turn to Russia “as it was in the past,” with Kneissl likely referring to the Cold War-era alliances and relations.
AI at the Spotlight
Meanwhile, Maj.Gen. Alexander Osadchuk, head of Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Director for Innovative Development, told journalists that artificial intelligence technologies, robotics and precision weaponry became the dominant topics in the technological and business program of the Army-2023 expo.
Osadchuk also noted that UAVs have been given special attention at the event, delivering this statement as a new Russian drone outfitted with a neural network-based object identification system was unveiled at the expo.
Western Weapons Seized in Ukraine on Display
Aside from demonstrating the latest additions to Russia’s military arsenal and weapons that have demonstrated their prowess and efficiency on the battlefield, an exhibition of Western armored vehicles and armaments captured in the Ukrainian conflict zone is being held under the auspices of the Army-2023.
This display, held at the Patriot Park, features exhibits such as the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle, French AMX-10RCR armored fighting vehicle and Finnish XA-180 Pasi armored personnel carrier, all of them “graciously provided” by their countries of origin via the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Other than allowing the attendees to peruse Russian weaponry and take a gander at the trophies from the Ukrainian conflict, the Army-2023 also features its own brand of entertainment.
In one instance, Russian soldiers demonstrated both their skills and teamwork by assembling a UAZ jeep from the available components in less than 2 minutes.
The 2023 edition of the ministry's flagship annual forum runs from August 14 to 20. Sputnik is an official media partner of the event.