Moscow Losing Defence Contracts as India Looks Elsewhere

(KYIV) – A Russian military blogger from Saratov has publicly complained that “everything is closing” across Russia’s economy, as new evidence emerged of battlefield shortages, industrial decline, and successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy and aviation infrastructure.

The blogger’s lament, circulated on social media, came as Ukrainian forces released multiple videos documenting Russian military difficulties. One video showed a verbal exchange between a Ukrainian soldier and a Russian occupier. Another clip captured Russian troops using bicycles to haul 120 millimetre mortar shells, a stark indication of logistics problems near the front line.

A separate video from a chemical plant in Russia’s Vologda region showed a factory worker announcing that he was quitting his job. The worker did not provide specific reasons, but the announcement added to growing evidence of labour unrest and industrial malaise inside the Russian Federation.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces destroyed a pontoon bridge in the Lyman direction, further disrupting Russian supply lines across the Donetsk region. Meanwhile, Russian forces struck the Pechenihy dam near Kharkiv, an infrastructure target that risks flooding downstream areas.

Ukrainian drones successfully struck the Gagarin Aviation Plant, a facility associated with Russian military aircraft production. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but the strike represented another blow to Russia’s domestic defence industry. In a separate operation, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian oil and gas platform on the Caspian Sea, targeting energy infrastructure far from the front line.

India is reconsidering orders for Russian military equipment, including the SU-57 fighter jet. The potential loss of Indian defence contracts would represent a significant financial and diplomatic setback for Moscow.

On April 13, Russian mobs attempted to take over the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the video report. The outcome of that attempt was not specified in the transcript, but the reference suggested continued Russian efforts to destabilise Ukrainian territory.