On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a meeting in Tula with the leaders of the defense-industrial complex. Concern Kalashnikov JSC President Alan Lushnikov attended.
Speaking at the meeting, Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that the 2023 state defense order's requirements for the production and supply of weapons and special military equipment would be met in full. The President stated that the main responsibility of the defense industry companies is to deliver the necessary volume of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to the Russian Armed Forces withing the required terms. The President also emphasized the significance of enhancing the capabilities of the Russian military's weapons and gear in light of the knowledge gained through combat.
Commenting on the outcomes of the meeting, Alan Lushnikov said, "Our unconditional priority is the fulfilment of the state defense order in full and on time. Every effort will be made to ensure that the Armed Forces receive our products in a timely manner. These include small arms, high-precision munitions, and UAVs. Special attention must be paid to the manufacture of combat gear. We must focus even more effort in this area. Both the need for personal protection and the standards for its efficiency have increased. Each soldier must be provided with reliable protection and modern, high-performance weapons. The servicemen who take part in the special military operation frequently provide us with feedback. The President has given us this exact task to complete. We continuously introduce changes to our products based on feedback we receive from the military on their use in combat. For instance, the AK-12 manufactured today differs significantly from the model first adopted by the Army in 2018. The feedback is also carefully considered for our new products, the Chukavin sniper rifle (SVCh) and the Kalashnikov submachine gun (PPK-20), which are already being supplied to the special military operation zone. The same is true of UAVs, both those that are currently in use and those that are yet in the early stages of development."