China helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones and metals
China helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones and metals
Russian firms have received tens of thousands of Chinese shipments since the war in Ukraine began
One Chinese company sent 1,000 drones to Russia in the two months before the war, according to figures compiled by Molfar Global, an open source research organisation. The drones were sent to a Russian firm called Samson, which similarly describes itself as a wholesaler of games and toys and appears to be a shell company, stating only 10,000 rubles in capital to its name, according to a public company registry.
Then, four days after war broke out in Ukraine, Chinese company Hems999 supplied two helicopters. Another Chinese firm, Tianjin Huarong Aviation, has transferred four Airbus helicopters to Russia since the war began.
Tianjin Huarong Aviation, has transferred four Airbus helicopters to Russia since the war began
Whoever sold these European-made helicopters should be worried. Whoever is in charge of sanctions and export control rules in the EU will probably look into this.
Update: Airbus has at least one helicopter factory in China, so these weren't necessarily manufactured in the EU. Anyway, still not looking good for people involved.