Chinese state-owned company supplied Russia with gunpowder for cartridge factory, - New York Times
In 2022, the Chinese state company Poly Technologies supplied Russia with large batches of smokeless powder for the production of cartridges at least twice.
This is reported by The New York Times, Censor.NET reports with reference to LigaBusinessInform.
According to the publication, the Barnaul Ammunition Plant in the Russian Federation received gunpowder from China, which is enough for the production of at least 80 million cartridges.
The delivery was made by the state-owned company Poly Technologies, which the US has previously imposed sanctions on for the proliferation of missile technology and providing support to Iran.
The newspaper notes that these data "again raise the issue of China's role in supporting Russia, which is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine."
As US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a recent visit to Beijing, China assured the United States that it does not provide lethal aid to Russia for use in Ukraine. Blinken noted that the US government "sees no direct evidence to the contrary," but he is concerned that "private Chinese companies may be providing assistance to Russia."
The supply of Poly Technologies to the Barnaul Ammunition Plant, which produces cartridges for Kalashnikov assault rifles and sniper rifles, was made already after the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and, as clearly stated in the customs records, was intended "for the production of foreign-type cartridges."
The publication notes that it does not have direct evidence of the use of Chinese gunpowder for the production of combat cartridges, however, interviewed experts believe that this assumption is the most natural in the current situation.
The Barnaul Ammunition Plant is included in the list of enterprises subject to EU sanctions. In addition to the production of ammunition, the plant, according to information from open sources, could serve as a training base for the Wagner terrorist group.
In April, the NYT reported that Russia was circumventing Western sanctions by buying chips and other electronic components needed for weapons through Armenia, Kazakhstan and China.
