Putin tells Russian defense industry to ramp up production for war in Ukraine

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has urged his defense industry leaders to increase their production and ensure that the country's military receives all necessary weapons, equipment, and hardware for fighting in Ukraine as quickly as possible.

"It's also important to perfect and significantly improve the technical characteristics of weapons and equipment for our fighters based on the combat experience we have gained," he said at a meeting in the Russian city of Tula on Dec. 23.

This week, Putin acknowledged that the Russian military has faced setbacks in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He also pledged that the state would invest "unlimited" funds in its military.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it has lost control of approximately half of the territory it initially seized, Reuters noted.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the country has left behind or lost a significant amount of military equipment, including over 3,000 tanks, and has lost 100,950 troops.

How many tanks does Russia really have?

The Kyiv Independent