Russia is selling arms like never before

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday his country will promote the export of arms while the world is experiencing a financial crisis, local media reported.
"This year will not be easy because the whole world is facing a financial crisis ... However, we should try to preserve what we can do (in arms export) and maybe to increase cooperation in some sectors," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying at a government meeting on military cooperation held near Moscow.
Medvedev urged Russian arms producers to improve quality, sign tangible contracts, and make the price formation transparent.
He also applauded Russia's arms exports in 2008, which exceeded8.35 billion U.S. dollars, up 800 million dollars year on year.
Russia now ranks as the world's No. 2 arms exporter after the United States.