China, despite calling for peace, secretly supplies Russia with drones, body armor components, thermal imagers, and other “enough non-lethal but useful military equipment,” Politico reports.
According to their data, as of July 2023, Russia imported more than $100 million worth of drones from China, which is 30 times more than Ukraine. Also, Chinese exports of ceramics to Russia increased by 69% to more than $225 million for a component used in body armor.
As per Politico’s report, China exports dual-use products that can have both civilian and military uses to Russia. It is often carried out through one-day companies created to conceal trade activities.
“One of them, Silva, headquartered in Buryatia and established in September 2022, ordered 100,000 bulletproof vests and helmets from Shanghai H Win,” it says.
Although the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI claims to have severed ties with Russia and “actively discourages the use of its products in hostilities.” Politico found an October 2022 contract from the Chinese company Iflight to supply DJI drones through another company in Hong Kong to Russia.
According to Politico, the supplies highlight increased China-Russia military and economic ties since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But Western officials warn China risks sanctions if it provides direct military aid.
A French official said the equipment helps “keep the Russian military machine running” and “fill the gaps left by Western sanctions.”
One of the authors of the KSE Institute report, Elina Ribakova, said that indirect shipments via China pose challenges in terms of both the scope and enforcement of Western sanctions.
“Secondary sanctions may not be sufficient. Manufacturers have to take responsibility for where their products end up — just as regulators required banks to step up customer oversight and anti-money laundering operations in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis,” she said.
Read also:
- Russia to teach in schools hand grenade skills & terrain reconnaissance – UK intel
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs a comprehensive air defense shield to overcome terror
- Ukraine eyes Swedish jet alongside Western F-16s – Business Insider
- Russian night attack ruins largest Orthodox cathedral in Odesa.
