'Today THEY are trying to catch up': Putin says Russia surpasses all competitors in advanced weapons for the first time

Russia ranks sixth in the world in terms of gross military spending – behind the US, China, Saudi Arabia, UK, France, and Japan – but it “must and will remain ahead of the others” in terms of advanced technology, the president said. This will be achieved through “brains, intellect, better organization of work [and] minimization of theft and sloppiness.”