Russia buys rifles and ammunition from the EU and the US despite sanctions - media
Kyiv • UNN
EU and US companies continue to supply weapons to Russia through intermediary countries. Arms exports to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and other countries have increased 2.5 times in three years, from where they end up in Russia.
Despite years of sanctions, Russia annually purchases thousands of Western rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition from companies in the European Union and the United States. No one sells them directly, but large batches of various weapons reach Russia through third countries and are then used in the war with Ukraine. This is stated in a joint investigation by The Insider with Czech Investigace.cz, Italian IrpiMedia and Kazakh Vlast.kz, UNN reports.
Details
The journalists found out that in recent years, companies from the European Union, the United States (US) and Turkey have been sending more weapons to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Weapons exports to these countries have increased two and a half times in three years: from 19,556 guns in 2020 to 53,211 in 2023,
Investigators note that the export of rifles and shotguns from Italy to Armenia has increased almost 30 times in four years - from 68 weapons in 2019 to 1,862 in 2023. Kyrgyzstan did not buy weapons from Italy in 2020 and 2021, but received 882 weapons in 2022 and 4434 in 2023. Arms exports from Turkey to Georgia increased from 8,426 in 2019 to 18,843 in 2023.
The largest European arms manufacturer with ties to Russia is the Luxembourg-based Beretta holding. In June 2024, the Russian importer of Beretta was included in the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions list. Despite the sanctions, Beretta Holding remains the majority owner of the Russian company.
Among the German arms manufacturers, Hans Wrage & Co from Hamburg maintains ties with Russia. Its head, Frauke Löhmann, still owns 15.96% of the Russian Rusimpeks.
"Despite the war in Ukraine, this company continues to import Japanese Miroku carbines, German Anschutz, Krieghoff hunting rifles, Ruag Ammotec and RWS ammunition, including army calibers," The Insider writes.
Russian snipers, both civilian and military, continue to use Western rifles and ammunition instead of Russian weapons. This is confirmed by the protocols of sniper competitions that took place last September at the Angarsk training ground in annexed Crimea,
EU countries have imposed an arms embargo on Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. But, as the investigation notes, there are still no controls on exports to the Customs Union countries of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, which share a common customs space with Russia and the CSTO military-political bloc.
Recall
The President of Ukraine saidthat Russian missiles attacking Ukrainian schools may have components from America, Europe and Asia. He emphasized that the safety of children is everyone's concern.
