Russian arms exports are unlikely to grow in 2009 after rising to a record high last year, an official from the state arms exporter was quoted as saying today, according to Reuters. Russian arms exports soared under former President Vladimir Putin to hit a record $8.35 billion last year, though industry officials have long warned that major investment is needed in research and productive capacity. "I think 2008's figures were solid, and for 2009 we will not see a collapse in military and arms exports," Interfax quoted Rosoboronexport's head of security, Valery Varlamov, as saying. He said Russia should export arms worth around $8 billion in 2009. Earlier this year, the head of the company which controls Rosoboronexport said that a third of the country's weapons makers were on the verge of bankrupty as the global financial crisis had increased the prices of domestic credit. Varlamov said that Russia had yet to decide on supplying ex-Soviet Belarus with S-400 air defence systems, known inside NATO as the SA-21 Growler, and Iskander ballistic missiles. Foreign and local media had previously reported that Belarus was seeking to deploy Iskander missiles to counter a planned U.S. anti-missile system in Europe, though Belarus denied it wanted the missiles to oppose U.S. plans. Belarus has also denied media reports that it wants to sell the S-300, an earlier version of the S-400, to Iran.
