European arms loopholes fuel Russian sniper strength
Despite the European Union embargo imposed on Russia back in 2014, Moscow continues to purchase sniper weapons and ammunition from Western manufacturers. As it turns out, Western companies have increased the sale of weapons to countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus, from where they reach Russia, reports Insider.
Insider conducted a journalistic investigation together with portals from the Czech Republic (Investigate.cz), Italy (IrpiMedia), and Kazakhstan (Vlast.kz). It was found that in recent years, companies from the European Union, the United States, and Turkey have increased weapon supplies to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Each year, these countries receive tens of thousands of weapons, which then reach the aggressor country.
In September this year, on the Crimea occupied by Russia, a sniping competition was held. In the 1,600-metre competition, the most popular weapons used by Russian snipers were the American Desert Tech SRS (7 out of 36 shooters), the British Accuracy International AXSR (7 out of 36), and the Austrian Steyr Mannlicher SSG (also 7 out of 36). Only seven shooters used Russian-made weapons, and only four used Russian ammunition.
In 2020, Western sniper weapon manufacturers sold a total of 19,556 precision firearms to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, while in 2023, the number increased to 53,211. Western manufacturers officially sell weapons to companies in countries neighbouring Russia. They can then be easily found on store shelves or through private sellers in Russia; the same goes for ammunition, according to Insider's journalistic investigation.
Insider claims that when the EU countries imposed an arms sales embargo on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, the regulations contained two significant loopholes.
First, EU Council Regulation No. 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 allowed for new deliveries under contracts concluded before 1 August 2014. Secondly, the document did not foresee any export control measures to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
These countries are connected by a customs union, and are members of the military-political bloc CSTO, meaning a customs declaration or weapon certificate issued by one of the EAEU countries is valid in any other, including Russia.
Insider also notes that modern Western sniper weapons are purchased by Russians partly because the most common Russian-produced sniper rifle, the SVD, or Dragunov sniper rifle, was developed in 1963 and has not seen significant modernisation.
Its effective range is 600-700 metres, whereas modern Western weapons are accurate over several times that distance and are significantly lighter.
