Russian defence minister tells military contractor to speed up production

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered military contractor Almaz-Antey to speed up the time it takes to launch new production facilities to manufacture air defence systems, his ministry said on Wednesday.

Almaz-Antey makes air defence missile systems like the S-300 and S-400 which are used to shoot down aircraft and ballistic and cruise missiles.

"The products manufactured by Almaz-Antey Corporation are in demand and show high efficiency in the special military operation area," Shoigu said on a visit to one of the company's plants.

Russia calls its military campaign in Ukraine a "special military operation".

The same defence ministry statement cited a top official at Almaz-Antey as saying the corporation was delivering its products ahead of schedule.