analysis

Artillery, drones, missiles, machine guns, cluster bombs, tanks – the use of weapons systems in The war in Ukraine diverse. Day after day, the Russian Armed Forces are squandering millions of Euros in their war of aggression to hold their positions or to gain ground.

Against this background, the question often arises: where did they come from arms and ammo?

Even before the invasion Russia piece by piece. The country has become largely isolated since February 24, 2022: most countries have completely suspended economic relations. This also applies to the arms trade.

However, Russia’s powder does not seem to run out. So who takes care of the warlord?

A search for evidence shows that vast quantities of war materials are still being shipped to Russia under the guise of commercial supply chains.

Russia

Russia was one of the world’s largest arms exporters even before its war of aggression – and also shortly after it broke out. The military expert and Colonel A. Ralph Thiel in December in conversation with Gateway „web.de”.

Now, he says when asked by Watson, that may have changed. „Russia no longer exports that much—except in Africa, where Wagner’s mercenaries are still very active.” Otherwise, the country turned into a war economy. This means that many commercial manufacturers now supply the gun industry.

„Russia can produce up to 40 battle tanks a month,” Thiel says. And: „If you include upgrades from older models, even twice that. The West, even with the United States, is way behind.”

Additionally, Janice’s Defense Intelligence Service posits that Russia has been stockpiling weapons such as artillery for decades. The country has never been committed to disarmament, and thus has been able to manufacture and stockpile war equipment undisturbed for several decades.

Destroyed Russian tanks are on display in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.Photo: Imago Images/Zuma Wire

However, the country needs many components from abroad to be able to manufacture weapons. These include chips. Thiele explains that in the past, nearly two-thirds of high-tech weapon chips came from the USA, Japan and South Korea, but also from there France And Germany came. Where they come from now is not clear. What is certain, however, is that deliveries from the past still help the country build weapons today.

However, the war-oriented industry won’t be able to keep up anytime soon. After all, in the past sixteen months, Russia has lost massive amounts of war equipment in combat.

north korea

The dictatorship of the ruler and the supreme leader Kim Jong Un It has a large stockpile of artillery shells as well as missiles. The fact that the country supplies Russia is considered a certainty.

This would also explain why the war looks like World War I or II. Many experts were also surprised that most attacks near the front were limited to artillery. AI expert Frank Sawyer had it in one interview Explained with Watson.

A report by the United Nations also indicates that the two countries are significantly deepening their cooperation. How to supply oil to Russia – north korea He responds with guns. In November 2022, the country delivered missiles and missiles to the Wagner Group, in particular, As reported by Reuters news agency. Since the Wagner Group is no longer in existence Ukraine Active, it is likely that this trade will extend 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 its first Iranian drone in September. Since then, Russia has continued to increase its drone strikes. Iran Russia initially denied supplying the Mohajer-6 and Shahed-136, but investigations by various authorities paint a very different picture.

Ukrainian security forces regularly check parts of downed UAVs or those that have already caused damage and destruction. It turns out to be Iranian war equipment. also Secret services the United States of America And Great Britain See signs of arms trade between the two countries.

Iranian witness -136 in the sky of Kyiv.Photo: AP/Efrem Lukatsky

The trade is carried out mainly under the guise of delivering consumer goods, as Lloyd’s List Intelligence suspects, the information service. At the same time, ships suddenly disappear from radar – this explains it is investigating in his analysishas doubled since the summer of 2022.

„Maritime trade between Iran and Russia across the Caspian Sea, a suspected route for arms shipments, is increasing,” the information service wrote. Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows that ships that engage in this trade routinely do so with their AIS signals turned off. There was a significant increase in births in July 2022.

Türkiye

It was and continues to be assumed that Turkish manufacturers are also bringing drones to Russia. However, they strongly deny any rumors.

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has established himself well here,” says Thiel. „He obviously doesn’t deliver any weapons himself, but thanks to the corrupt system he created, delivery ships can also be reloaded in Turkey and on the high seas.”

Meaning: the arms that are about Syria Secretly from or from Iran via the Bosphorus in the Black Sea to Russia specifically to be reloaded in Turkey.

China

China does not want to supply arms officially, but helps Russia with dual-use components.Thiele explains. By dual-use components, the expert means above all the chips used for many electronic devices – but also for high-tech weapons. But traditional drones are also part of it – planes that any private home can buy for itself. „Most of the drones that are built are for private use,” says Theele.

They can then be used for reconnaissance, for example, but they can also be loaded with ammunition at the same time.

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

India

Basically, says military expert Thiel, one must also assume that corrupt states will find ways to trade arms with Russia. Even if it means smuggling. Many countries, incl China And India is not satisfied with the Western world order because it gives the West strong economic and political advantages and wants to make things difficult for the West.”

This is also evidenced by the fact that commercial trade with Russia continues and dual-use components appear in weapon systems.