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Import of some important land weapons by Russia in the First World War

Identificator
EDN: LMQGVB ; УДК: 940.3(470)
Authors
Popov Grеgory Germanovich, PhD in Economic Sciences, associate professor, Moscow Institute of Modern Academic Education. Russia, Moscow. ORCID: 0000‑0002‑3060‑5030. E‑mail: GGPopov2009@mail.ru ; Safaralieva Dilara Gadzhimetovna, PhD in Economic Sciences, Deputy Director, Moscow House of Nationalities. Russia, Moscow. E‑mail: dilyarags@mdn.ru
Journal
HERALD OF HUMANITARIAN EDUCATION №1 (41), 2026
Section
NATIONAL HISTORY
Pages
37-45
Abstract
The article examines the military‑economic cooperation between Russia and its allies in the Entente during the First World War from the perspective of the supply of the most important land weapons. The authors rely on archival materials. The authors believe that arms supplies from Allies had got significant importance in the supply system of the Russian Armed Forces since the last quarter of 1916, and Russia's arms imports themselves were provoked by a series of micro crises on fronts. The authors show that Russia's arms imports had little effect on the growth of the Russian army's firepower by the end of 1917. The authors show that the supply of foreign weapons turned out to be too late to change the situation on the Eastern Front in favor of Russia. At the same time, the emphasis in the programs for the supply of land weapons to Russia in 1916–1917 was on heavy guns. The authors show that Russia was ready to abandon the import of heavy machine guns at the turn of 1916–1917, since the production of this type of weapon was established at a sufficient level within the state. In late 1916 and early 1917, the issue of providing rifles remained relevant for the Russian army, the supply of which from the Allies was insufficient, when the United States fulfilled its obligations on a very small scale by February 1917.
Keywords
World War I Entente military technologies weapons of the Russian army in the First World War import of weapons by Russia in the First World War East Front of World War I
Recieved
27.08.2025
Published
03.06.2026

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