Customs data reveal that China has made deliveries of weapons, drones, and armor to Russia using routes through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, writes Politico.
According to customs records obtained by Politico, Chinese companies, including one with ties to the government, sent 1,000 rifles to organizations in Russia, as well as drone parts and body armor.
One of China’s largest state-owned defense equipment manufacturers, North Industries Group Corporation Limited, sent firearms to the Russian company Tekhkrim in June 2022, which in turn has close ties to the Russian government and military.
The CQ-A rifles are modeled after the M-16 but are described as «hunting weapons» in the technical specification.
At the same time, there have been reports of these weapons being used by Chinese paramilitary police and armed forces in the Philippines, South Sudan, and Paraguay.
Russian companies also received 12 cargoes of drone parts and more than 12 tons of armored suits. These deliveries were made through Turkey.
Customs data revealed that China is supplying Russian companies with equipment supposedly intended for civilian consumption, but at the same time, it can be used on the battlefield in Ukraine. This is the first time that China has been proven to be supplying weapons and armor to Russian companies.
Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. (DJI) is a Chinese company subject to US Treasury sanctions since 2021. At the end of 2022, using the UAE as a transit country, DJI delivered drone parts to a small Russian company.
In addition to drones, Russia has for months relied on other countries for navigation equipment, satellite data and vehicle parts.
There is currently no definitive confirmation that Russia is using Chinese-supplied weapons in combat, and Tekhkrim did not respond to a request for comment. However, drones produced by DJI have been observed on the battlefield for several months. The Chinese company has not commented either.
Western sanctions make it difficult to import everything from microchips to tear gas, but Moscow is still able to obtain war supplies from «friendly» countries such as China and the Gulf states.
Experts say it’s difficult to track how the technology is being used.
Even in cases where the necessary technologies are produced only in the US, Europe, or Japan, Moscow can still use foul ways to circumvent sanctions.
One way is to use intermediaries in countries that share trade ties with both Russia and the West.
Information from Import Genius shows that last December, Russia was seen importing armor suits worth about ten million dollars. Body armor is manufactured by the Turkish company Ariteks and is mostly imported directly from Turkey.
As data on dual-use goods became available, it is expected that Western countries will try to reduce these traffic flows.
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