Surge in Russian ‘secret exports’ to NATO members
Six NATO countries, including the US and Germany, are in the top 10 recipients of classified exports from Russia, a report has revealed. These nations have imported sensitive items such as arms, ammunition, and military aircraft.
According to Moscow business daily RBK, citing open data from the Federal Customs Service, many NATO countries have significantly increased the volume of imports from Russia in 2021. For example, in the first nine months of this year, imports to the Czech Republic have jumped up to $706 million – a massive increase from $102 million in the same period in 2020. The Americans have also sent a significantly larger sum, which now stands at $841 million, up from $706 million.
The data also revealed that Algeria remained the top importer of secret goods from Russia, after also heading the list in 2020.
After Algeria, there are six NATO member states – the US, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Estonia, and the Netherlands – plus China, India and the UAE.
The countries listed in the latest report are not the only NATO member states to purchase Russian military hardware. In particular, Turkey has come under fire from its allies after buying the S-400 mobile anti-aircraft weapon system. In 2020, the US sanctioned its NATO ally over the purchase, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claiming that it was the only option after America refused to sell its own ‘Patriot’ system.
Earlier this month, Russia also began to supply India with the state-of-the-art missile defense system, despite New Delhi receiving threats of possible sanctions from Washington.
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