Putin’s war in Ukraine has far-reaching implications for Asian militaries
India buys a lot of equipment from Russia, including the T-90S main battle tank. (Gordon Arthur)
There is potential for future Asian imports of Russian equipment to be hammered hard, and for increasing difficulties in maintaining current equipment, after Putin's ill-advised invasion of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin’s war of conquest in Ukraine will have ripple effects in Asia, where many countries rely on Russian-built military equipment or maintain strong geopolitical links with Moscow.
The respective stances of Asian countries were clearly seen in the UN General Assembly’s draft vote to condemn Russia for the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. From Asia, only North Korea voted against the motion.
However, the following Asian countries were among 35 that abstained from condemning Russia, a position indicating sympathy for Moscow: Bangladesh, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Vietnam.
Grant Newsham, a senior research
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