Russia’s Army-2025 Exhibition Canceled for First Time since Launch in 2015

Russia’s Defense Ministry has canceled its flagship defense exhibition, Army-2025, originally scheduled to take place next week.

Scheduled for August 11–14 at Patriot Park near Moscow, the Army-2025 Forum has been quietly pulled from the venue’s official calendar. No formal notice has been issued on the forum’s website, Telegram channel, or VKontakte page. An archived version of the park’s site still shows the event listed before its removal.

A defense industry source confirmed the cancellation to Defense Mirror. In July, Russian media, including Izvestia and Kommersant also reported the same, citing multiple anonymous sources within the defense sector.

Held every year since 2015, even during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the invasion of Ukraine, the Army forum has served as the Defense Ministry’s main platform for showcasing weapons and military technology. However, the forum has scaled down in recent years—from weeklong events to just three days in 2024.

Organizers had previously stated that over 800 companies, including some international participants, had reserved space for this year’s show.

The Defense Ministry has yet to confirm or explain the cancellation.

The move follows the official postponement of Russia’s biennial MAKS International Aviation and Space Show. Originally planned for July 2023, MAKS was delayed to 2024, then canceled again in mid-2024 by government order. It is now scheduled for 2026.

A virtual MAKS show was held instead from July 23–28, 2024, on aviasalon.com, allowing Russian aerospace firms to present technologies, share technical documentation, and maintain global outreach. The online platform featured content spanning civil aviation, defense aerospace, and space technologies.