A report by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) said an investigation by the Ukrainian armed forces into Russian weapons systems recovered from the battlefield showed a “consistent pattern” of dependence on foreign components, in some cases British. An example he cited was the use of high-frequency transistors made in the United Kingdom in the Borisoglebsk-2 interlock system. The United Kingdom imposed an arms embargo on Russia in 2014 following the illegal annexation of Crimea – although there were reports that some export licenses were still being issued – and banned the direct export to Russia of dual-use components for political or military use in the beginning. March after the invasion of Ukraine. The Rusi report did not say when the parts were likely to have been exported and there was no indication of wrongdoing by the manufacturers, but raises concerns that spare parts made in the UK could still find their way to Russia. He said Western economic sanctions meant that Moscow would become increasingly dependent on component smuggling to ensure that jets, missiles and other high-tech ammunition could work. The Daily Telegraph reports that an investigation will be launched into Whitehall to examine UK components used in Russian weapons systems. A government spokesman said: “We have introduced the largest and most severe economic sanctions Russia has ever faced, to help cripple Putin’s war machine, including by imposing sanctions on key defense agencies and banning the export of critical technologies. “The United Kingdom has one of the strongest and most transparent export control regimes in the world. “We take seriously all credible allegations of export control breaches and will take further action if necessary.” Boris Johnson was in India when the report was released, announcing that the government would facilitate arms export licensing agreements with New Delhi by issuing an open general export license to India. Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds, the authors of the Rusi report, warned that Russia “has set up mechanisms to launder these items through third countries” and argued that India should be subject to certain restrictions. In response, the prime minister said he would close the windows to ensure that UK exports to India could not end up being used in Russian arms. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST The report said: “Although the Russian weapons are full of Western components, it is not clear that the companies that made them knew that the Russian army was the end user. Many components are dual-use technologies. “In the meantime, Russia has set up mechanisms to launder these items through third countries. “Restricting access, therefore, probably means preventing the export to countries such as India of goods that in some cases are used for non-military purposes.” They added: “In addition, there are myriad companies based around the world, including the Czech Republic, Serbia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, India and China that will take significant risks to meet Russian supply requirements.” . India has backed down from repeated UN proposals condemning Russia and continues to buy Moscow oil, and after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted the two countries will continue to do so. to find ways to exchange.
