This occurred despite the international community's efforts to block the aggressor country's access to necessary equipment.
A study by the Council of Economic Security of Ukraine (CESU) indicates that by the onset of the war, Russia was significantly reliant on the import of CNC machines, which accounted for up to 90% of its needs. With the beginning of the conflict, this issue became even more pressing, as modern weaponry cannot be produced without these machines. The largest suppliers of machines included China, Taiwan, and South Korea. China provided over 62% of all supplies, totaling $2.6 billion, while Taiwan and South Korea contributed an additional $371 million and $228 million, respectively.
However, the machines themselves are not the only concern. Russia is also actively importing components and consumables for these machines, spending over $14 billion on this. Once again, China emerged as the primary supplier, but European countries, including Switzerland and Germany, also participated in supplying components.
The international community is attempting to hinder this process due to sanctions; specifically, the EU has imposed export bans on equipment to Russia. However, there are loopholes. One example is the supply of machines from Turkey, manufactured by the German company Emag Salach GmbH, which end up in Russia and are used for producing missile launchers and artillery systems.
"A complete ban on the export and re-export for subsidiaries in third countries must be implemented, along with clearly defining the responsibility of violators and thoroughly investigating each case when products from European companies or their subsidiaries are delivered to Russia," concludes CESU Executive Director Denis Gutik.