Russia’s ruse to import weapons from the West

High-quality rifles from the United States and Europe would still be exported to Russia. Traffic that would be made possible by third countries.

Thomas Wanhoff / t-online

Despite the sanctions, Russian snipers are still expected to receive thousands of Western-made rifles and ammunition. This supply is made possible thanks to third-country companies that make purchases for Putin’s soldiers. Investigations by several European media, including the Russian independent investigative platform The Insidermade it possible to retrace the journey of these weapons.

Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are the relay countries. They are not subject to the same sanctions as Russia. The Czech network Investigace.cz reports that dozens of Western brands were on display at a Russian arms show. The logo of some of them would have been removed, but the weapons were well presented.

According to investigations, a shooting competition between elite Russian soldiers took place in September 2024 on the Crimean peninsula occupied by Russia. 21 of them allegedly used special rifles from the United Kingdom, the United States and Austria. Several bloggers and participants published photos of the competition, some even offering rifles for sale, according to The Insider. But where exactly do these weapons come from?

Dramatic increase in imports

Investigators notably discovered the Edelweiss company in Kyrgyzstan. According to the report, it has two certificates which attest to its compliance with EU rules. Tax documents show that the company has paid significantly more taxes since the start of the war, suggesting higher turnover.

Arms imports to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan increased by 150% in three years, from 19,556 weapons in 2020 to 53,211 in 2023. Exports of rifles and rifles from Italy to Armenia increased from 68 in 2019 to 1862 in 2023. This is indicated by the United Nations data.

Since 2022, the import of Italian weapons into Kyrgyzstan has also reportedly increased. Georgia, for its part, purchased ten times more weapons from the United States in 2022 than a year earlier. And Turkey supplied it with nearly 800 weapons in 2019, compared to 18,843 last year, according to UN data.

An Italian company linked to Russia

One of the largest suppliers of rifles in Europe is the Beretta company, a large Italian arms manufacturer registered in Luxembourg. She is said to have set up a joint venture with Russian arms dealer Mikhail Khubutia and his companies. The United States has placed it on the list of sanctioned companies, but not the EU. Beretta would still be the largest shareholder in the joint company with Khubutia.

Weapons from the United States are said to have arrived in Russia through circuitous routes. A trader is said to have delivered 53 rifles to Kazakhstan. According to research, some of these rifles were later found in Russia. There would even be a link with Germany. A co-owner of a German arms company reportedly has excellent relations with Mikhail Khubutia. She would be co-owner of the holding company with Beretta.

Officially, the German company would only deliver weapons to Kazakhstan, and not to Russia. 176 Blaser brand rifles were reportedly supplied. According to the report, they were sold to a Kazakh company. Export to Russia would be done through this intermediary company. The investigation network Correctiv visited the site last year. An undercover reporter inquired about the possibility of purchasing one of the rifles and shipping it to Russia. “The purchase poses no problem,” the seller replied. And what about transportation to Russia? “Difficult, but doable.”

Translated and adapted from German by Léon Dietrich

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