Russia has cancelled the 2023 iteration of MAKS, its premier international air show. Scheduled every other year, MAKS takes place near Moscow and showcases russia’s civil and military aerospace sectors and has become key to securing export customers, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
The show has probably been cancelled largely due to genuine security concerns, following recent umanned aerial vehicle attacks inside russia. Organizers were highly likely also aware of the potential for reputational damage if fewer international delegations attended.
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According to the UK Defense Intelligence, the war has been exceptionally challenging for russia’s aerospace community. The sector is struggling under international sanctions; highly trained specialists are being encouraged to serve as infantry in the Roscosmos space agency’s own militia. Meanwhile, Commander in Chief of the Aerospace Forces, General Sergei Surovikin, has not been seen in public since the abortive mutiny by Wagner Group, for whom he served as point of contact with the Ministry of Defense of russia.
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