Putin brags that Russian weapons are 'years, perhaps even decades' ahead of rivals as his army pulls old Soviet-era tanks out of deep storage due to losses in Ukraine

• On Monday, Putin bragged about Russia's advanced weapons.

• They are years, perhaps even decades, ahead of foreign rivals according to him.

• Heavy losses have forced Russia to use soviet-era armor.

Putin said on Monday that Russia's weapons are more advanced than those of his competitors.

Russian forces have had to bring old Soviet-era tanks out of storage in order to make up for the losses they have suffered on the battlefield.

At a military forum outside Moscow, Putin promoted "cutting-edge" Russian weapons to foreign allies and said he is ready to sell them.

He said that military professionals think highly of the weapons and that most of them have been used in combat.

During his speech, Putin said that they are talking about high-precision weapons and robotic combat systems. Many of them are decades ahead of their foreign counterparts in terms of tactical and technical characteristics.

As Russian forces have struggled to gain significant ground in Ukraine, Putin's comments on Monday came as a big blow.

Russian forces have lost at least 4,000 armored vehicles, according to the Pentagon. Putin's military has had to use old and outdated weapon systems in order to fill gaps.

Heavy armor losses forced Russia to bring the obsolete T-62 tanks out of storage to make room for more modern tanks that were destroyed in combat.

In late May, Ukraine and its Western allies said that Russia had suffered a blow to its tank force, forcing the military to unveil Soviet-era tanks that are less advanced than later Russian tanks.

The T-62s will be particularly vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and their presence on the battlefield highlights Russia's lack of modern, combat- ready equipment.

Business Insider has an article on it.