According to Bosman, Putin also said things are going ‘difficult’. That is why the Russian president has decided to triple the production of this weapon. Russia is already working on this. We also sometimes see Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev of the Security Council of Russia visiting a tank factory. The point is that 15 tanks roll off the line every year, while around 100 are needed. So it’s still uncertain whether this will really be enough, only time will tell.’
Parallel import
Putin is trying to get weapons through Iran and North Korea, among others. ‘Obviously he gets drones from Iran, and Russia is also trying to steal weapons from China, but China doesn’t want that. However, there is a lot of parallel importation, especially of semiconductors needed for precision missiles,” Bosman explains.
Last week, a US newspaper wrote that five countries, including China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, are still supplying that kind of semiconductor and other technology to Russia, which, according to Bosman, “would effectively bring it back to pre-war levels.” ‘This is very remarkable. In this sense, Russia should have no shortage. A report was also released in April showing that Russia is clearing wood chips from household appliances such as refrigerators and microwave ovens and using them for war industry.
‘These are bloggers, very critical guys, voicing a lot of criticism’
Critical kids
“Putin has never spoken so decisively and doubtfully before,” says Bosman. “It’s not even good. These are bloggers, very critical guys, especially those on Telegram, who criticize a lot. Even Putin realizes this. He can’t just pin them on his sleeve. That’s why I think he chose to show the reverse side of the special military operation medal.’