How Russia is producing weapons despite sanctions
Russia has adapted to overcome Western sanctions, significantly increasing its weapons production capabilities. Despite embargos, the nation's military arsenal is growing, with reports indicating that as of March, Russia is manufacturing three times more artillery shells than what the U.S. and Europe are supplying to Ukraine. This development is bolstering the Russian invasion effort, highlighting the challenges of embargo enforcement and the effectiveness of Moscow's strategy to import essential materials and components for weapon manufacturing. The escalation in production is dramatic; at the beginning of 2024, Russia's capacity to produce long-range missiles had more than doubled in the span of two years. This surge has been facilitated by external state actors, notably China, which has been accused by Western countries of supplying a significant volume of military-related goods to Russia. Although China has refrained from delivering complete weapons systems, it has reportedly been providing Russia with critical components like semiconductors, navigation systems, and parts for fighter jets and vital computer hardware. Western countries have also unintentionally contributed to Russia's military efforts. Components manufactured in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, and France have been discovered inside Russian military equipment used in Ukraine. These components often pass through third countries not adhering to Western sanctions and eventually end up in Russia, complicating efforts to police international trade in these items. To circumvent the depletion of advanced weapon systems and sidestep sanctions, Russia has shifted towards using lower-grade, dual-use equipment that is harder to identify and restrict on a global scale. This approach not only complicates enforcement efforts but also poses a moral dilemma, as further sanctions could inadvertently affect Ukraine, which relies on similar dual-use technology. As Moscow continues to defy international sanctions by increasing its defence spending by 68 percent from the previous year, the challenge for the West becomes twofold: tightening the enforcement of sanctions and ramping up production support to Ukraine, aiming to counterbalance Russia's expanding military capabilities.