By RFE/RL staff – Jun 14, 2023
It’s been a constant since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Chinese parts and components — as well as drones and some weapons — are finding their way onto the battlefield and helping Russia’s military.
Finding Perspective: The issue was pushed back into the spotlight following a video posted to Telegram by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov showcasing an array of new military equipment, including eight Chinese-made unarmed armore personnel carriers.
The vehicles appeared to be a multipurpose model called the Tiger or China Tiger and the video brought renewed scrutiny of Chinese weaponry helping the Kremlin’s war effort — a possibility raised by Western governments and experts for some time.
It’s difficult to determine when or how the Chinese vehicles ended up in Chechnya, or how they might be deployed on the battlefield — if at all.
WSJ: Despite sanctions, Moscow equips its jet fighters, submarines and soldiers with the help of Chinese companies. A Chinese state-owned firm has shipped parts for Su-35 jet fighters to a subsidiary of a sanctioned Russian government-owned company; Russian Sukhoi Su-35s at a Moscow airshow in 2019. LEONID FAERBERG/RUSSIAN LOOK/ZUMA PRESS
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