World
Who is fueling the Ukraine war with guns
A Russian soldier inspects a tank in the Russian-occupied Kharkiv region at the time. Photo: imago/SNA Images
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?
watson app for your smartphone
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.
other countries
The „corrupt” states that Thiel’s lists also include Brazil and several African or Asian countries that do not support the war in Ukraine per se, but Russia in its conflict with the West.
Since then, the US has accused South Africa of exporting weapons to Russia, but Thiele doesn’t really think so. At least not under government contract. But South Africa is clearly sympathetic to Russia.”
the West
Speaking of South Africa: Thiel says Western companies will also produce components in South Africa under other names that Russia could eventually use for its own weapons systems.
„Praktyk żywieniowy. Guru bekonu. Irytująco pokorny entuzjasta zombie. Uczeń totalny”.
To share or not? A poisoned invitation: Putin’s fifth inauguration leads to a split in the European Union
Putin in a festive mood: Kremlin head in March 2021 at a concert marking the 7th anniversary of the „reunification” of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol with Russia at Luzhniki Stadium
© Alexey Druzhinin / Russian Presidential Press and Information Office / TASS / ImageImago
Should I accept Putin’s invitation to start his new term or not? A diplomatic topic for discussion in the European Union. According to diplomats, Germany and France do not agree either.
There are major disagreements within the European Union about how to properly deal with invitations to attend the celebration marking the beginning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fifth term in office. As several EU diplomats told the German news agency in Brussels on Monday, countries such as France, Hungary and Slovakia would like to send representatives to attend Putin’s swearing-in in order to keep communication channels open. However, Germany and many other EU countries consider participation inappropriate, especially in light of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. “Germany will not participate in this event,” a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Berlin said on Monday.
In the case of the Federal Republic, the government summoned the German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, to Berlin for a week-long consultations in the wake of cyberattacks on the Social Democratic Party and German companies. The federal government blames a Russian military intelligence unit for the attacks.
To share or not? This is the question in the European Union
The official representative of the European Union in Moscow, like most ambassadors of EU member states, will not attend the ceremony on Tuesday, a spokesman for the European External Action Service said late in the evening in Brussels. Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell had previously spoken against the EU’s participation in the event. But according to diplomats, there were also dissenting voices. Among other things, they are said to have warned that staying away from the ceremony could give Russia an excuse to ignore more diplomatic rules and norms in the future.
Profession of dictator
From Moth to Putin, Eternal – the bloody path of the Kremlin master in pictures
Putin – and who else?
Putin wants to be sworn in for another term as Russian president on Tuesday morning. This marks the beginning of another six years as head of state. The ceremony will be held in the Moscow Kremlin in front of representatives of the government, both houses of the Russian Parliament and other high-level guests. 71-year-old Putin, who has dominated politics in the country for 24 years, achieved a record result of more than 87 percent of the votes in the presidential elections that took place last March.
The European Union strongly criticized the conduct of the elections. Russian voters have very limited access to factual information and “have no real choice,” a statement said. The reason for this was, among other things, the exclusion of many candidates – including all those who spoke out against Russia’s aggressive war on Ukraine.
„Praktyk żywieniowy. Guru bekonu. Irytująco pokorny entuzjasta zombie. Uczeń totalny”.
Advisor Olaf Schulz The Social Democratic Party (SPD) says it wants to further strengthen international unity against Russia’s use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war. “It is always important to say loudly that nuclear weapons must not be used in this war,” Schulz said during a visit to Latvia. He added that this should be one of the clear messages in the peace conference scheduled to be held in Switzerland in mid-June.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously ordered his army to train on the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Forces near the border must also participate Ukraine To share. The Russian military leadership’s announcement did not mention exactly where and when the first military maneuver of this kind would be held since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The United States criticized the announced Russian nuclear maneuvers
The United States has Russia He was accused of „irresponsible speech” regarding the announced maneuver. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, said that given the current security situation, such announcements were “completely inappropriate.” Meanwhile, there are currently no signs of changes “in Russian strategic strike force formations” and the United States continues to monitor the situation. John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, made a similar statement: “It is simply reckless and irresponsible for the leader of a major nuclear power to wave his sword the way he does regarding the potential use of nuclear weapons.” He looks at Putin.
In Riga, Schulz noted that China had also warned Russia against doing so in the past nuclear weapons For use in the war against Ukraine. Russia’s dependence on China has increased sharply in recent years as a result of Western sanctions, and two-way trade has expanded significantly since the beginning of the war.
Therefore, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently on a state visit to Europe, is considered one of the few heads of state who can exert influence on Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also recently called on Xi to use this leverage. Put it in To convince them to end the war.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said that she should not be swayed by Russian nuclear threats. The aim of advertising is to spread fear. “That is why we should not give in to him,” Kalas said after the meeting with Schulz. Meanwhile, Callas stated that he could not completely rule out the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. She said Russia had „done all kinds of crazy things” in the past.
Schulz met with the heads of government of the three Baltic countries in Riga, Latvia. There he stressed the unity within NATO that Putin had sparked with his attack on Ukraine. During the visit, Schulz also backed EU plans to use revenues from frozen Russian state assets to finance arms purchases for Ukraine.
Schultz wants to buy global weapons for quick delivery
The European Union Commission had already announced similar plans months ago. There are legal reservations regarding demands to completely confiscate about 200 billion euros of Russian state funds frozen in the European Union and hand them over to Ukraine. The Authority believes that the resulting interest income can be used without any legal problems. This is likely a low single digit billions per year.
Schulz demanded in Riga that 90% of this amount should be used to finance arms shipments to Ukraine. He also called for this money not to be used to purchase weapons only within the European Union, but rather in the entire global market. The Chancellor said: “What is actually important now is that weapons can be delivered quickly, and not for this to happen simply by building a new factory.”
At the same time, Schulz, together with the heads of government of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, called for expanding European arms production. He added that the matter has already begun in the field of ammunition and anti-aircraft systems.
The Czech Republic also buys ammunition for Ukraine
The European Union announced at the end of last year that it wanted to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring. However, this goal was far from being achieved, which, in addition to the temporary interruption of arms shipments from the USA, led to a shortage of ammunition in the Ukrainian army and loss of territory.
Alternatively, the Czech Republic has been working for months to purchase up to 1.5 million doses from the global market for delivery to Ukraine. About 20 countries are helping to finance this initiative, including Germany with about 600 million euros. Deliveries should start in the summer at the latest.
Follow all the current developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine on our live blog.
Advisor Olaf Schulz The Social Democratic Party (SPD) says it wants to further strengthen international unity against Russia’s use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war. “It is always important to say loudly that nuclear weapons must not be used in this war,” Schulz said during a visit to Latvia. He added that this should be one of the clear messages in the peace conference scheduled to be held in Switzerland in mid-June.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously ordered his army to train on the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Forces near the border must also participate Ukraine To share. The Russian military leadership’s announcement did not mention exactly where and when the first military maneuver of this kind would be held since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
„Praktyk żywieniowy. Guru bekonu. Irytująco pokorny entuzjasta zombie. Uczeń totalny”.
He presses
Many German vacationers will return to Bella Italia in 2024. In order not to attract negative attention from local residents, they should refrain from certain behaviors.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for tourists to display bad manners while on vacation. Sometimes it gets to the point that the local government feels forced to take action against them: an example of this is banning entry to geisha areas in the Japanese city of Kyoto after tourists behaved disrespectfully towards the artists. In a small Japanese town near Mount Fuji, a popular photo of vacationers is obscured with privacy gauze because they leave a lot of trash behind and block paths. In Venice, fines are imposed for not wearing a shirt and swimming in the canals because many holidaymakers do not follow the rules.
Nine behaviors that make tourists instantly unpopular in Italy
But sometimes, it doesn’t have to be a huge mistake to attract negative attention from locals while on vacation. Learning platform Prebly He conducted a representative survey of Italians living in Italy to find out which behavior of foreign guests bothers them most. 18% of locals get upset when guests don’t order traditional Italian dishes while on vacation. For 12%, ordering a cappuccino after 12 noon is a no-no. Many also find it impossible when speaking to them in a foreign language.
However, leaders of rude tourist behavior no longer fall into the category of false mistakes. Most locals, 69%, are upset when holidaymakers behave disrespectfully at memorial sites. Noise and leaving garbage behind are also a major source of inconvenience to residents (24 percent).
You don’t want to miss any news and tips about vacation and travel?
Then sign up for the travel newsletter from our partner Merkur.de.
In the overview you will find the nine worst behaviors of tourists to Italy from the point of view of local residents:
- Lack of respect for memorials (69%)
- Noise and littering (24 percent)
- Ordering foreign dishes (18%)
- Order cappuccino after 12 noon (12 percent)
- Addressing local residents in a foreign language (12 percent)
- Ongoing small talk (10 percent)
- Don’t wait to be hired (7 percent)
- Not being able to even say hello or thank you in Italian (5 percent)
Five tips to behave like an ideal tourist in Italy
In Italy, people are accustomed to tourists, but this does not mean that vacationers can afford anything. If you want to show your appreciation or simply want to avoid some mistakes, you can follow the etiquette below Prebly Catch:
- Don’t take holiday selfies in inappropriate places: Monuments and memorials are some of the most visited tourist attractions – but it’s not always appropriate to stand in front of them for a holiday photo. Pay attention to information panels explaining the context of the memorial to determine appropriate behavior.
- No cappuccino in the afternoon: In Italy, after midday is common coffee – Any espresso – I drank. If you order a cappuccino, you are fooling yourself and revealing yourself as a tourist – and someone who has not studied Italian coffee culture.
- Learn basic vocabulary: Locals enjoy when tourists know at least the most important terms in their language. For example Ciao As a greeting or farewell beauty To express gratitude.
- Appreciation of food culture: For many Italians, it is terrifying to see vacationers cutting spaghetti or cutting pizza into small pieces with a knife and fork. Spaghetti is rolled around the edge of the plate using a fork – no spoon – and pizza is traditionally eaten by hand.
- Avoid noise: In Italy there is usually a quiet period between 1pm and 3pm. She calls herself Reposo. During this period, tourists should avoid loud disturbances and act considerately.
„Praktyk żywieniowy. Guru bekonu. Irytująco pokorny entuzjasta zombie. Uczeń totalny”.
-
Tech3 lata ago
Te oferty Apple nadal istnieją
-
Top News2 lata agoNajlepsze strategie i wskazówki dotyczące zakładów na NBA
-
Tech3 lata ago
Kup PS5: Expert bez nowych konsol – kiedy nadejdą dostawy?
-
Tech3 lata ago
Windows 11 dla programistów: aplikacje na Androida, zestaw gier i pakiet Windows SDK
-
Economy3 lata ago
Huobi Global rozpoczął kampanię zerowej opłaty dla użytkowników kart bankowych w Europejskim Obszarze Gospodarczym i Wielkiej Brytanii
-
entertainment3 lata ago
Dieter Bohlen ogłosił nową pracę w telewizji – to zaskakujące
-
entertainment3 lata ago
„Helene Fischer Show”: Nagłe zakończenie bożonarodzeniowego show – ostre słowa ZDF
-
Tech4 miesiące ago
Ubóstwo CO2 może ujawnić łatwość życia – Wissenschaft.de
