Some Chinese companies, including China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, sent assault rifles, UAV parts, body armor to Russia from June to December 2022. It is reported by Politico with reference to the customs data of the ImportGenius aggregator.
One of the largest defense contractors in China in June sent a thousand CQ-A rifles to the Russian company Tekhkrim, which cooperates with the Ministry of Defense. CQ-A rifles modeled after the M16 are designated "civilian hunting rifles". Politico specifies that they are also used by the military police in China and the military from the Philippines to Paraguay.
Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. (DJI) shipped drone parts last year via the UAE to a small Russian distributor. Batteries and cameras designed for drones were sent through the UAE, in total 12 batches of such parts were delivered. More than 800 tons of body armor worth about $10 million were sent through Turkey to Russia in 2022. The publication notes that the goods are dual-use products, potentially the Russian Federation can use them in the war in Ukraine. There is no confirmation of the use of Chinese rifles on the battlefield, while Chinese drones have already been seen in Ukraine.
Russia also bypasses EU and G7 sanctions and continues to receive chips and microcircuits needed for the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg previously reported, citing a senior European official.
