‘We are enemies:’ Ukraine-Russia tensions at Saudi arms fair

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‘We are enemies:’ Ukraine-Russia tensions at Saudi arms fair​

AFP

March 13, 2022, 06:10 PMlatest revision March 13, 2022, 06:38 PM

'I am looking for any equipment... that I can find and send to my country. This is my duty'

Far from the war raging thousands of miles away, Russia-Ukraine tensions were on full display at an arms fair in Saudi Arabia, where staff from each country eyed each other suspiciously over their latest weaponry.

Russian military hardware at the World Defense Show north of the capital of Riyadh this week far outstripped the display at Ukraine’s pavilion, where staff bristled with anger about the attack on their country.

Maxim Potemkov, sales director of one of the exhibiting Ukrainian companies, said there was a wall of silence between the two sides.
"We don't communicate of course. There is nothing to discuss," Potemkov, whose family was forced to flee Ukraine, told AFP.
"I only passed once (in front of the Russian pavilion) to see how many of them were there... There are feelings of anger within us because we are enemies."

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The number of staff at the Ukrainian pavilion was severely diminished by the war, which broke out two weeks ago when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an assault on Kyiv.

A planned delegation of 50 was reduced to just two officials and two volunteers, all based in Riyadh.

But even though the Ukrainian display consisted of just two armored vehicles, it was visited by a string of Western officials, including a delegation from the United States embassy.

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The Ukrainian armored cars were not for display only. After the defense show closed on Wednesday, they were due to be shipped back to the war-torn country.

Oleg Perutzkari, a staff member at the Ukrainian pavilion, said he planned to collect military equipment from the other exhibitors to be sent along for the war effort.

"I am looking for any equipment, any helmet or jacket, that I can find and send to my country... This is my duty," he said.

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