Informed sources have stated that EU countries are still not doing enough to prevent Russia from obtaining European weapon technology that is banned from being exported to it, which is being used to continue the war against Ukraine.
“Bloomberg” news agency reported from sources that Russia is still buying sensitive goods of EU origin worth tens of millions of euros, despite the many rounds of sanctions imposed by the Union on Moscow since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022.
According to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, about a quarter of the total highly sensitive equipment, valued at approximately 450 million euros (about 488 million dollars) during the first 9 months of last year, reached Russia directly from EU countries, and the rest came through a third country.
Turkey, Serbia, China, as well as neighboring countries to Russia like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia, are among the countries through which Russia obtains banned European goods.
While official trade of sensitive goods between Russia and the EU has significantly declined since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, exports of these goods to other countries have increased to compensate for the absence of the Russian market.
The EU’s call for member states to tighten restrictions on the export of sensitive products to Russia comes as the Ukrainian war enters its third year, while Russian forces intensify their attack on Ukrainian forces suffering from a severe shortage of ammunition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that it is up to the US Congress to approve the expected aid package for his country worth 60 billion dollars within a month.
EU countries and allied states have been focusing intensely on enforcing their sanctions on a “top priority” list of products in recent months. This list includes dozens of components, spare parts, and advanced technology such as semiconductors and electronics that can be used in missiles and other military systems used by Russia against Ukraine, or vital components for weapon production.
The situation regarding Russian munitions production and its impact on the conflict in Ukraine is multifaceted and complex. While Russia has managed to increase its production of key munitions, including missiles and drones, it still struggles to meet the demands of the ongoing conflict. The production increases, especially in missiles, have been significant, with estimates suggesting Russia is currently manufacturing around 115 to 130 long-range missiles and 100 to 115 shorter-range missiles each month. Despite these increases, the production levels are still not sufficient to sustain Moscow’s desired usage rate or replace the thousands of missiles launched since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.
