China and India have once again been found to be aiding Russia’s war effort by disregarding or even evading Western sanctions, including by using front companies, Reuters found this week.
Both nations have long come under international scrutiny for their refusal to condemn the illegal war and their high purchase rates of Russian oil, which is Moscow’s number-one export and, in extension, aids Russia’s war coffers.
But both nations were also found to be directly contributing to Russia’s fighting power on the battlefield, including through a $1.4 million explosive compound sales agreement between a private Indian company to two Russian companies, including a $1 million sale to explosive manufacturing company Promsintez, which has previously known ties to the Russian military.
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Another $400K worth of explosives was purchased by a Russian underground mining company called High Technology Initiation Systems, Reuters found, though it is unclear whether this company is suspected of relying on dual-use technologies to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort.
While the U.S. has issued hundreds of sanctions against entities across the globe over their support or involvement in Russia’s war effort, the majority of U.S. sanctions appear to have targeted Chinese individuals and companies, though this does not seem to have deterred Beijing’s ongoing support for Moscow.
Chinese-made engines used for Russia’s drone production were found to have been shipped to Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol to increase its production of the Garpiya-A1 attack drone.
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But according to Reuters, the shipments from Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade, were made under the description of “industrial refrigeration units” to avoid Western sanctions implemented in October 2024, in an effort to break up drone-based supply chains, which Russia has heavily relied on in its war in Ukraine.
Kupol reportedly signed a contract with the Russian defense ministry to ramp up its production of the long-range drones – which have been used to hit civilian and military targets across Ukraine – to secure the manufacturing of some 6,000 drones this year, up from the 2,000 drones produced in 2024.
India and China have maintained that their companies are not violating their national laws despite Western sanctions, which both nations have also condemned, including the EU’s most recent sanctions issued this week that looked to target Indian refineries that use Russian oil.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about what it is doing to counter sanction-evasion or whether Indian and Chinese companies can expect to see more sanctions in the near future.
President Donald Trump has already threatened to employ 100% sanctions on nations that buy Russian oil if Putin does not enter into a peace deal by early September – a measure that is expected to impact China and India the most, given their reliance on Russian oil.
Neither the Indian nor Chinese embassies in Washington, D.C., immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions.
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