Russia has canceled its international air show, MAKS, due to security concerns, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
In its regular update, the ministry theorized that recent drone attacks inside Russia contributed to the decision to cancel. Organizers were also aware of reputational damage if fewer international delegations attended, the ministry said.
MAKS, which is held near Moscow every other year, is Russia's flagship show demonstrating its civilian and military aerospace sectors and has become "key" to securing export customers.
The war and accompanying international sanctions have done a lot of damage to Russia's civil aviation and aerospace industries, while highly-trained specialists are encouraged to serve as infantry in the space agency Roscosmos's militia, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
The chief of the aerospace forces, Sergei Surovikin, has not been seen since the Wagner Group's one-day mutiny on June 24, presumed to have been arrested for siding with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Alexander Query
