The Insider: Russia still buys weapons and ammunition from the US and EU

Russia receives weapons from the European Union and the United States; they enter the Russian Federation through the countries of the former USSR, bypassing sanctions.

The deliveries include, for example, sniper rifles and ammunition, The Insider writes on December 11. Despite years of sanctions, Russia annually purchases thousands of Western rifles and millions of cartridges from companies EU and the United States.

Journalists of the publication found that in recent years companies from the European Union, the USA and Turkey increased arms supplies to Armenia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The publication notes:

“The export of weapons to these countries has increased two and a half times over 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 over 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 4,434 in 2023. Arms exports from Turkey to Georgia increased significantly from 8,426 in 2019.

The largest European weapons manufacturer associated with Russia turned out to be the Luxembourg holding company Beretta. In June 2024, the Russian importer of Beretta was included in the US Treasury sanctions list. The Beretta holding, despite the sanctions, remains the majority owner of the Russian company.

Among German gunsmiths, Hans Wrage & Co from Hamburg maintains ties with the Russian Federation.. Its head, Frauke Löhmann, still owns 15.96% in the Russian Rusimpex. The Insider writes:

“Despite the war in Ukraine, this company continues to import into the Russian Federation Japanese Miroku carbines, German Anschutz, Krieghoff hunting rifles, Ruag Ammotec and RWS cartridges, including army calibers. Russian snipers, both civilian and military, continue to use Western rifles and cartridges instead of Russian weapons. This is confirmed by the protocols of the sniper competitions held in September last year in Angarsk. training ground in annexed Crimea.”

European Union countries imposed an arms embargo on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. However, the investigation notes, there are still no measures to control exports to the countries of the Customs Union – Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which with Russia share a single customs space and the military-political bloc CSTO.

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