ST. PETERSBURG — Russia lost tens of billions of dollars in potential revenues from arms deals with the overthrow of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, said Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Service on Military and Technical Cooperation.
Russia, the world's No. 2 arms exporter, has frequently cited losses of $4 billion in Libyan arms contracts.
"The figure of $4 billion is only nominal. The real lost revenue could top tens of billions of dollars," Dmitriyev told reporters last week. "There is no doubt there were losses. … We have no contacts with the new Libyan leadership in the [defense] field any longer." Moscow shipped Gadhafi the guns and rockets that were used in vain against rebel forces that came to form the interim ruling council.
(Reuters)
