Can Kalashnikov Fix The Russian Army's Supply Problems?

Nov 13, 2022

An “informed source” has told RIA Novosti that the Kalashnikov company has been tasked with coordinating efforts to produce all the necessary supplies the Russian Army needs for Putin’s war in Ukraine.

(Side note: the use of an unnamed “informed source” means Russian media is subject to many of the same weaknesses as western corporate media)

"By the decision of the Ministry of Industry and Trade , the Kalashnikov Concern has been appointed as a consolidated data integrator and coordinator for the supply of elements of combat equipment. Now enterprises participating in cooperation in the supply of elements of combat equipment to military personnel - and these are dozens of public and private companies and even individual entrepreneurs - will report on a regular basis " Kalashnikov on the supply of body armor, helmets and other items of equipment to the Russian Armed Forces," he said.

The unstated reason for such a move by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is, of course, the basic failure of Russian industry to provide adequate supplies of war materiel to the Russian army, a point I have discussed previously.

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Note, however, that the report does acknowledge “unprecedented challenges” to the supply effort.

The interlocutor of the agency explained that this decision was made to unconditionally provide the Ministry of Defense with combat equipment in a situation where the military-industrial complex and the entire system of state defense orders are facing "unprecedented challenges associated with a special military operation and providing all the necessary mobilized."

The mere idea of tasking a single industrial combine with organizing reporting on efforts across Russia’s military-industrial complex indicates that the supply chain for the Russian Army has major problems. There would be no impetus for such a policy were the Russian Army adequately supplied on an ongoing basis.

Kalashnikov can gather data on supply efforts. Will that be enough to fix problems in those supply efforts?

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