China has been fueling Moscow’s war in Ukraine by sending fighter jet components, navigation systems for military helicopters and other technology since last year’s invasion, Russian customs data show.
The shipments, which are not weapons but used in wartime, are reportedly among thousands of Chinese imports from state-owned and private businesses recorded by the Russian customs office, a list that also includes telescoping antennas for military vehicles. are that can be used for communication. Components of jamming and radar systems used to detect jet aircraft and missiles.
Customs data was compiled and vetted by C4ADS, a Washington-based national security nonprofit The Wall Street Journal shows that Russia has been able to strengthen its military arsenal by importing technology from countries that have not joined the West’s efforts to sanction Moscow.
Other countries that continue to ship to Russia include the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, a NATO member that has declared the sanctions ineffective. But the Journal report found that China is the “dominant exporter” of what are known as “dual-use” goods, or materials that can be used in weapons or less lethal products.
Last year, Turkish companies sent more than $18 million worth of goods, including vehicles, plastics and rubber, to 10 Russian companies that the US had sanctioned for their role in the war. The Journal reported.
Turkish businesses also exported at least another $15 million worth of US-made electronics and technology to Russia, in direct violation of US sanctions aimed at cutting off Moscow’s military supply chain.
30 countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, although Turkey has publicly refused to enforce them.
The United States warned Turkey on Thursday against exporting chemicals, microchips and other products to Russia that could be used in the war against Ukraine, and said Turkish companies or banks that flout the sanctions could face penalties. are
Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official, has met with Turkish government and private sector officials to urge them to cooperate with the West to block shipments to Russia.
Nielsen told Turkish bankers that increased exports to Russia make Turkey “particularly vulnerable to reputation and sanction risks” and added that “transactions related to the transfer of potential dual-use technology Take extra precautions to avoid that the Russian military may use – industrial complexes.
Despite signs that efforts to stop goods from going to Russia are failing, the European Union is preparing to unveil a new round of sanctions against Russia on February 24, one year since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. has been
European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen told a news conference on Friday that the package of sanctions, the 10th the EU has imposed against Russia since the start of the war, targets technology used by the Russian military. will make
Lean added that the sanctions would specifically target parts used to make drones, which Iran has played a key role in supplying.
The 27 EU member states must agree on the exact details of the sanctions package before it can be finalised.
Along with the growing slate of sanctions, Ukraine will also add some new firepower to its arsenal, imported from its allies in the West.
The French and Italian defense ministers announced this spring that they will deploy a long-range anti-missile system developed jointly by the two countries.
“The supply of this system meets the urgent need expressed by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to his French and Italian counterparts,” France’s armed forces ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The U.S. also announced that $2.2 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine would include long-range missiles that can hit targets up to 93 miles away, nearly doubling Ukraine’s strike range. .
Along with the aid package, the US also said on Friday it would use funds seized from an approved Russian oligarch to help Ukraine’s war effort for the first time.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in June that more than $5 million was seized from a bank account of Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofaev — who “directly or indirectly provided money to the Russian government, the Treasury Department, or his acted or intended to act on behalf of.” Said at the time – the State Department would be moved to help Ukraine.
“Russian war criminals will find no sanctuary in the United States,” Garland said during a press conference with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kosten.
“Today, we are witnessing the authorization of the transfer of US$5.4 million in seized assets to the State Department for the purpose of rebuilding war-torn Ukraine,” Coston said. “We are grateful to the United States for its decisive efforts and support. The Ukrainian people will never forget it.
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