According to a report, Iran can promptly supply Russia with drones for the Ukraine War due to the flow of components from China.
Western researchers investigated an Iranian drone taken down over Ukraine this spring; they claimed to have made a vital discovery: one Chinese-made part was manufactured this year.
Chinese Parts Help Iran Supply Drones to Russia
According to investigators, an Iranian drone shot down by Ukrainian forces in April included a voltage converter produced in China in mid-January. It is the first time a part manufactured in 2023 has been discovered in drones used in the conflict, as reported by Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based organisation that studies global weapons supply chains.
The discovery demonstrates how quickly Iran can develop and send drones to Russia. The Chinese component was manufactured in January, transferred to Iran, installed, and then shipped to Russia, where it was utilised against Ukraine in April.
After Ukraine downed an Iranian drone, a Chinese part in the weapon showed it had been built and sent to Russian forces in three months. https://t.co/DffZCXsHVV
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 12, 2023
The report shows that, despite increased pressure from the US to cut off the global supply line, China has continued to export the building blocks for its drone programme to Iran.
The 2023 Chinese part discovered by the investigation team in the largely intact V-shaped drone, known as Shahed-136, was in the weapon’s navigation system.
Last year, Russia turned to Iran for weapons it required in Ukraine, and its use of Iranian drones is the most far-reaching instance of the two nations’ growing military cooperation. According to the Ukrainian military, Russia has fired over 700 drones to attack power stations, cities, and military targets.
Last month, Us President Joe Biden’s administration stated that Moscow had depleted its supply of Iranian drones and had requested more from Tehran. The White House announced last week that Iran has just transported hundreds of drones to Russia on ships across the Caspian Sea.
According to UN investigations documenting Tehran’s activity in providing the Houthi insurgency in Yemen with drones in recent years, China and Hong Kong have long been utilised as distribution centres for Iran’s drone production.
The first Chinese military vehicle in Russian service: Ramzan Kadyrov showed footage of "new vehicles purchased for Chechen units participating in the SMO" at his palace - featuring 8+ brand new Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles Manufacturing Co. "Tiger" armored personnel carriers. pic.twitter.com/yUDREwXVoC
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 7, 2023
Chinese Tiger Armoured Vehicles in Russia
A video showing Chinese-made armoured vehicles posted online this week by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conflict in Ukraine, raises new doubts about whether Chinese equipment may be used to bolster Moscow’s military effort.
The vehicles appear to be a multipurpose variant, known as the Tiger or China Tiger, which is built for limited military combat and riot-police operations and can be fitted with rooftop weaponry. Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles Manufacturing, a North China military contractor, manufactures Tigers.
The Chinese government distributes the Tiger globally, with many going to internal security forces worldwide as military aid; however, these armoured personnel carriers (APCs) require Beijing’s export authorisation.
According to Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), armoured vehicles were China’s second most valuable military export in 2022, with sales of $392 million, following only aeroplanes at $703 million. The SIPRI database reveals Chinese Tiger shipments to various nations, from Afghanistan and Cambodia to the Bahamas and Tanzania.
Furthermore, figures compiled by Webster from official trade figures reveal a surge in Chinese shipments of heavy-duty trucks, such as semis, to Russia since the war began, including 6,000 in April alone.
In military circles, the appearance of Chinese equipment in the Chechen leader’s video garnered notice. “They are absolutely, no doubt about it, they are the Chinese-produced Tigers,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher in SIPRI’s arms-transfer programme. “There’s no doubt about that one. And they are definitely in Chechnya,” he added.
The war in Ukraine has resulted in a strain on the global arms supply. The US and its allies supporting Ukraine have failed to provide Kyiv with the massive military weapons required to combat Russian soldiers.
Earlier this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that American intelligence indicates that China is considering helping Russia’s war effort by supplying weapons and ammunition, which would be a “serious problem.”