Russia’s secret suppliers: those who support the war in Ukraine with weapons Swiss mountaineers die in a rescue attempt on the Mont Blanc massif

Artillery, drones, missiles, machine guns, cluster bombs, tanks – the use of weapon systems in the war in Ukraine is diverse. Day after day, the Russian armed forces waste millions of euros on their offensive war to maintain their positions or acquire land.

Against this background, the question often arises: where do these weapons and ammunition come from?

Even before the invasion, Russia was sanctioned little by little. The country has been largely isolated since February 24, 2022: most countries have completely halted economic relations. This also applies to the arms trade.

Still, it seems that Russia is not going to run out of powder. So who takes care of the warmonger?

A search for clues shows that large amounts of war material are still being shipped to Russia under the guise of commercial supply chains.

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Russia

Russia was one of the world’s largest arms exporters before the war of aggression – and shortly afterwards. In parts, the country has even caught up with the West, the military expert and Colonel A explained. D. Ralph Thiele talking to the portal “web.de” in December.

Now, he says when asked by Watson, that has probably changed. “Russia doesn’t export that much anymore – except to Africa, where the Wagner mercenaries are still very active.” Otherwise, the country has switched to a war economy. Means: many commercial manufacturers now supply the arms industry.

“Russia can produce up to 40 main battle tanks per month,” Thiele says. And: “If you include upgrades of older models, it even doubles. The West, even with the US, is lagging far behind.”

In addition, the defense intelligence agency “Janes” assumes that Russia has been stockpiling weapons such as artillery for decades. The country has never committed to disarmament and was thus able to manufacture and store war material undisturbed for decades.

Yet the country needs many parts from abroad to be able to make weapons. These include microchips. In the past, Thiele explains, nearly two-thirds of chips for high-tech weapons came from the US, Japan, South Korea, as well as France and Germany. It is not clear where they come from now. What is certain, however, is that supplies from the past still help the country build weapons today.

Nevertheless, the war-oriented industry will not be able to keep up anytime soon. After all, Russia has lost massive amounts of war material in combat over the past 16 months.

North Korea

The dictatorship under ruler and supreme leader Kim Jong-un has a large stockpile of artillery shells and rockets. The fact that the country supplies Russia is considered certain.

That would also explain why the war feels like World War I or World War II. Many experts were also surprised that most attacks on the front were limited to artillery.

A United Nations report also indicates that the two countries are deepening their cooperation significantly. So Russia supplies oil – North Korea responds with weapons. In November 2022, according to the Reuters news agency, the state supplied missiles and missiles, in particular, to the Wagner Group. Since the Wagner Group is no longer active in Ukraine, this trade is likely to spread to the Russian military.

North Korea is also suspected of supplying ammunition to Russia. About long guns. North Korean long guns use the same caliber as the Russian Kalashnikov.

Iran

Ukraine shot down the first Iranian drone in September. Since then, Russia has continued to ramp up its drone strikes. Iran initially denied that it had delivered its Mohajer-6 and Shahed-136 to Russia, but investigations by various authorities paint a very different picture.

Ukrainian security forces regularly examine the parts of downed drones or parts that have already caused destruction and destruction. It becomes clear that it concerns Iranian war material. The secret services of the US and Great Britain also see signs of arms trade between the two countries.

The trade mainly takes place under the guise of deliveries of consumer goods, the intelligence service Lloyd’s List Intelligence suspects. At the same time, ships suddenly disappear from the radar – and, as the company explains in its analysis, this has increased since the summer of 2022.

Sea trade between Iran and Russia via the Caspian Sea, a suspected route for arms shipments, is increasing. The ships conducting this trade routinely do so with the automatic identification system signals turned off, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows. In July 2022 there was a sharp increase in deliveries.

Turquoise

It was and still is believed that Turkish manufacturers also bring drones to Russia. However, they strongly deny all rumors.

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken a good position here,” said Thiele. «Apparently he himself does not supply weapons, but thanks to the corrupt system he has set up, delivery ships can also be repackaged in Turkey and on the high seas.»

In other words, weapons secretly coming from Syria or Iran via the Bosphorus to the Black Sea and Russia are specifically reloaded in Turkey.

China

“China officially does not want to provide weapons, but helps Russia with dual-use components”, explains Thiele. By dual-use components, the expert mainly means chips that are used for many electronic devices – but also for high-tech weapons. But conventional drones are also part of it – aircraft that every private household can buy for itself. “The majority of drones that are built are intended for private use,” says Thiele.

These can then be used for reconnaissance, for example, but can also be equipped with ammunition at the same time.

This coincides with statements by the Ukrainian authorities, who have been finding more and more Chinese components in Russian projectiles for several months.

India

Essentially, says military expert Thiele, one should also assume that corrupt states will find ways to trade weapons with Russia. Even if that means smuggling. “Many states, including China and India, are dissatisfied with the Western world order because it gives the West economic and power-political advantages and they want to make things difficult for the West,” he explains.

This is also evident from the fact that commercial trade with Russia continues and that dual-use components are appearing in the weapon systems.

Other states

The “corrupt” states that Thiele also lists Brazil and several African or Asian states that do not necessarily support the war in Ukraine, but support Russia in the dispute with the West.

The United States has now accused South Africa of exporting arms to Russia, but Thiele does not really believe in that. At least not on a government contract. “But it is clear that South Africa is sympathetic to Russia.”

The West

Speaking of South Africa: Western companies, says Thiele, would also start producing parts in South Africa under other names that Russia can eventually use for its weapon systems.