Former Armenian defence minister underlines maintenance problems of Russian-made weapons

Former Armenian Defence Minister Arshak Karapetyan has underlined the maintenance problems of a number of Russian-made weapons.

"There were also difficulties in maintenance with a number of Russian-made weapons, for example, in the case of Iskanders or Su-30SM fighter jets," Karapetyan said, Caliber.Az reports.

"But, first of all, Armenia did not always pay from its budget for their service - very often Russian specialists undertook this task themselves. Apart from that, relations with Russia in this field were of a completely different quality and level," the former minister noted.

Karapetyan urged not to forget how many weapons and equipment Russia transferred on a gratuitous basis. Armenia purchased only those means that were delivered directly from the factory. In other cases, Russia transferred from its arsenals.

But the current government, according to the former minister, refuses all of this, preferring other sources and other supplies, often more costly and inefficient.