The russian Ministry of Defense made a last-minute decision to change the format of the Armiya forum, an annual defense industry exhibition scheduled to take place August 12 to 14 this year in the Patriot Park near Moscow, as reported by Kremlin-owned media outlets.
This time, the event will include "only a business program without free attendance and entertainment." It's noted that "the format will be optimized and updated," and this year's "dominant theme" will be the full-scale war of the russian federation against Ukraine.
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Now, here's the context for this sudden change. Until that moment, the annual forum Armiya was essentially the main event for propaganda purposes, held under the auspices of the russian Ministry of Defense. One of the key goals for this static expo was to be a platform for demonstration of the most advanced technologies with features and specifications often overestimated for creating a good image for the national defense industry and heating up patriotic mood within the citizens of russia.
Considering the pace of development some particularly sophisticated or simply abandoned projects have, dragging on for years and repeated deadlines postponements, this forum was effectively the only place where the general public could be reminded of their existence.
The decision to close the doors of such an event less than a week before its beginning is confusing in itself but it also raises a question of how it will be portrayed in mass media. Most likely, the "patriotic warmup" factor will be provided by so-called military bloggers, a group of influencers writing on topics related to military equipment and war.
Their audience will learn all the details about the latest wunderwaffes, showcased at the exhibition, second-hand — either from these bloggers or through official media distribution channels. The difference, however, is minimal as all these influencers project the narratives dictated by the Kremlin anyway.
Apparently, the display of equipment models wasn't canceled. According to the reports, 15 exhibits of weapon systems and other equipment will be presented, including the Iskander short-range ballistic missile system, the Tornado-S artillery rocket system, the latest Floks and Malva self-propelled guns, and others. Additionally, the russian press announced a demonstration of products devised by what was labeled as "people's military-industrial complex," likely referring to various designs improvised by amateurs or russian invasion forces on the frontline.
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