France and Germany arm Russia for EUR 273 million bypassing sanctions

The EU has prepared an internal report on how producers of military and dual-use products obtained government approval to export to Russia, circumventing sanctions that have existed since 2014.

According to "Evropeyskaya Pravda", the document was in the possession of the British newspaper The Telegraph.

The report notes that some of the equipment sold to Russia in circumvention of sanctions is used in armed actions in Ukraine.

Manufacturers used a scheme that had been known since 2014 and which the EU only closed with the start of the invasion - supplies were made under contracts that were formally signed before the illegal annexation of Crimea, after which the EU imposed an embargo on new supplies for the army and defense companies in Russia.

According to the agency, the supplies to Russia, which were carried out under this scheme, included bombs, missiles, and cannons. Ten EU member states made such exports. About 78 percent of the total amount of EUR 350 million was supplied by German and French companies.

German companies sold EUR 121 million worth of dual-use goods to Russia. The government claimed that they were deceived by Russian buyers who assured them of peaceful use of the goods. "If there were signs of any military use, export licenses were not granted," the country's economy ministry said.

France sold most of arms to the Russian Federation, in the amount of EUR 152 million under 76 export licenses. The government authorized the sale of bombs, missiles, and torpedoes, including thermal imaging cameras for more than 1,000 Russian tanks, as well as navigation systems for fighter planes and attack helicopters to the Russians.

Italy is responsible for EUR 22.5 million worth of weapons; Austria, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic together exported EUR 49.3 million worth of goods to the Russian security forces from 2015 to 2022; Britain sold EUR 2.4 million worth of such goods.