Kathrine Frich
Russia’s global arms exports have fallen dramatically in recent years, according to a new international report.
Despite the sharp decline, the country still ranks among the world’s leading weapons suppliers.
Exports plunge
A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows Russia accounted for 6.8% of global deliveries of major arms between 2021 and 2025.
This marks a steep drop from the previous five-year period, when Russia held a 21% share of the global market.
The institute said Russian weapons exports fell by 64% compared with 2016-2020.
Other exporters rise
While Russia’s exports shrank, several other major suppliers increased their global sales.
“US, French, German and Chinese arms exports rose between 2016-20 and 2021-25, while Russian exports fell sharply.”
According to SIPRI, US exports grew by 27%, France by 21%, Germany by 15% and China by 11%.
Global rankings
Despite the fall, Russia still ranked third among the world’s biggest arms exporters.
The United States remained the dominant supplier, accounting for 42% of global arms deliveries during the period, up from 36% previously.
France was the second-largest exporter with a 9.8% share of the market.
Top suppliers
Germany ranked fourth with 5.7% of global exports, followed closely by China with 5.6%.
Other major suppliers included Italy with 5.1%, Israel with 4.4%, the United Kingdom with 3.4%, South Korea with 3.0% and Spain with 2.3%.
SIPRI recorded 66 countries exporting major arms during the period.
India remained the largest buyer of Russian weapons, receiving 48% of Moscow’s exports.
China and Belarus followed, each accounting for 13% of Russia’s deliveries.
The same SIPRI report also found that Ukraine became the world’s largest importer of major arms during the 2021-2025 period.
Sources: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Ukrainska Pravda
