Russian imports of military components have hardly fallen at all compared to before full-scale invasion

Stock photo: Getty Images
Stock photo: Getty Images

Imports of dual-use goods in the first nine months of 2023 fell by 28.5% compared with the same time period before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and imports of military components fell by only 9.1%.

Source: a report by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and the Yermak-McFaul International Working Group

Details: The researchers looked at information on 2,797 components that were imported into Russia, such as sensors, microchips, navigation systems, etc. They divided them into "battlefield goods", found in weapons, and "critical components", which are dual-purpose items.

There was a dramatic drop in imports of these components into Russia in 2022 following the imposition of sanctions. However, the report's authors point out that the Russians modified their supply chains and started purchasing them again last year.

Russia imported about US$20 billion worth of critical components and US$8 billion worth of battlefield goods during the first nine months of 2023. The average monthly volume of imports of battlefield goods and critical components fell by 9.1% and 28.5% respectively compared with the period to 24 February 2022.

The report also states that 44% of all battlefield goods were developed by Western companies.

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