Amid international tensions over Ukraine, Russian military companies have been denied participation in a British arms trade show in London later this year, according to a top executive at Russian state technology corporation Rostec.
Russia, a major international arms supplier, is a fixture on the global weapons expo circuit, and its defense firms had applied to participate at London's Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in September. But “our so-called English partners said 'we do not want to see you here,'” Rostec deputy CEO and head of foreign economic cooperation Dmitry Shugayev told radio station Ekho Moskvy, the TASS news agency reported.
Rostec is a key player in Russia's defense industry and controls numerous arms makers.
The DSEI exhibition is held bi-annually. It is primarily dedicated to land equipment, and features a conference on topical issues of modern defense and international security.
Russia has had a hard time securing representation at trade shows and international conferences following last year's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which saw Western nations impose punitive sanctions on Moscow.
Last summer, Russia's delegation to Britain's world-famous Farnborough International Airshow was decimated by visa issues. When the show opened, one unidentified source told the Interfax news agency that 160 Russians were refused visas — about 45 percent of the delegation.
Some of those refused visas were specialists required to operate some of Russia's demonstrations and exhibits.
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