افزایش فروش تجهیزات نظامی چین به روسیه

China has been sending helicopters, drones, optical sights and metals for the defense equipment to Russia since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a report said on Saturday.

According to The Telegraph, Russian firms, including those sanctioned by the West, received tens of thousands of Chinese shipments. The report comes as Beijing has been trying to position itself as a mediator in potential peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, although China refuses to directly condemn the Russian invasion.

Analysts noted that exports of the so-called dual-use goods with potential military uses from China to Russia rose by over three times in the year which ended this June, compared to the previous one. Trade between the two countries also reached a new record surpassing $200 billion this year.

According to the report, at least one Chinese company sent 1,000 drones to Russia two months before the war. Another one deployed two helicopters just days after the full-scale invasion with four more transferred later by a third firm.

Chinese firms also sent optical sights to more than 50 Russian companies from the start of 2022 through the first quarter of this year, the Telegraph investigation said. Imports of these products nearly doubled to $2.5 million last year, compared to the one prior, it added.

While invoices claim that this equipment is for “hunting,” it is fit for military weapons. Russia has also been importing Chinese turbojets and radar missile navigation systems as well as raw materials, such as titanium, magnesium and steel for the manufacture of weapons and military equipment, the report said, citing trade data.