29 March 2024, Friday, 15:33 1321

Despite sanctions, russia doubles import of explosives with help of West - WSJ

Editor: Tetiana Herasimova

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The aggressor state of russia has doubled its imports of nitrocellulose, an important explosive compound critical for the production of artillery ammunition. American, German and Taiwanese manufacturing firms bypassing sanctions assisted russia in this.

It was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing data on international trade.

The publication reports that Western companies produced nitrocellulose, and despite sanctions supplied it to russia, largely through one Turkish company.

"According to a Wall Street Journal report citing trade data, these imports rose 70% in 2022, the year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and by mid-2023 it had reached 3,039 tons, almost double the level of 2021," the paper said.

The surge in nitrocellulose imports to the russian federation occurs at a time when there is a worldwide shortage of this material, which has already led to an increase in prices and a decrease in production. WSJ writes that under the rules of international trade, the manufacture of nitrocellulose, which is mainly used in ammunition, is allowed only to a few countries.

The russian federation itself produces little nitrocellulose, the main ingredient in smokeless gunpowder used in artillery. Before the full-scale invasion into Ukraine in 2022, Turkiye had less than 1% in the import of nitrocellulose to russia, but by the middle of last year, a Turkish company had become a significant player in the supply of this product to the aggressor.

In addition, German subsidiaries of New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances sold at least 80 tons of nitrocellulose to Noah, which then shipped the material to russia last year. Such a revival of exports to russia from Western companies coincides with a global shortage of nitrocellulose, which affects the production of artillery by NATO countries for Ukraine, the WSJ emphasizes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on March 19, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin would cover the costs of 180,000 shells as part of the Czech initiative to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

On March 11, CNN reported that the aggressor state of russia produces three times as many shells as the United States and the EU combined.

In addition, in January, the difference between the supply of artillery ammunition to the aggressor state of russia and Ukraine reached 10 to 1.