Western arms flow to Russia via Central Asian backdoor
Despite the embargo imposed by EU countries on Russia in 2014, Russia continues to procure sniper weapons and ammunition from Western manufacturers. Western companies have increased sales to Central Asian and Caucasian countries, from where the weapons eventually reach Russia, reports the Insider portal.
Insider conducted a journalistic investigation in collaboration with portals from the Czech Republic (Investigate.cz), Italy (IrpiMedia), and Kazakhstan (Vlast.kz). They found that in recent years, companies from the European Union, the United States, and Turkey have increased arms deliveries to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Each year, tens of thousands of weapons are sent to these countries, which then end up in the aggressor country.
In September of this year, sniper competitions were held in Russian-occupied Crimea. In the 1,600 metre competition, the most popular weapons used by Russian snipers were the American Desert Tech SRS (7 out of 36 competitors), 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 weapons, and only four used Russian ammunition.
Weapons enter through the back door
In 2020, Western producers of sniper weapons sold a total of 19,556 precision firearms to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, while in 2023, this number rose to 53,211. Western manufacturers officially sell weapons to companies in countries neighbouring Russia. They can then easily be found in the offerings of stores or private sellers in Russia; the same goes for ammunition, according to the Insider's journalistic investigation.
When EU countries imposed an embargo on weapons sales to Russia following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, two significant loopholes were discovered in the regulations, claims Insider. Firstly, 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 include any export control measures to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which comprises 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 a certificate for weapons issued by one of the EAEU countries is valid in any other, including Russia.
Insider also highlights that modern Western sniper rifles are favoured by Russians partly because the most common Russian-made sniper rifle, the SVD or Dragunov sniper rifle, was developed in 1963 and has not seen significant modernisation since. Its effective range is 600-700 metres, while modern Western weapons are accurate over much greater distances and are considerably lighter.
