Ukraine urges its partners to fully block Russia’s access to military technologies

Ukraine urges partners to block any of Russia's attempts to purchase goods from private companies in the West that could be used in military technology. 

The Ukrainian delegation at the OSCE made this statement during a meeting of the Security Cooperation Forum, Rubryka reports.

The First Secretary of Ukraine's permanent representation to international organizations in Vienna, Danylo Kubai, delivered the statement.

"Displaying the highest level of hypocrisy, the Russian Federation continues to criticize the lawful arms deliveries to Ukraine, which are made to support Ukraine's inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Russia spares no effort to disrupt the transfer of defensive armaments to Ukraine while importing weapons from Iran and North Korea to bolster its ability to continue its aggressive war," the statement says.

Despite Russian statements about so-called "industrial self-sufficiency," Russia is making maximum efforts to circumvent sanctions and procure Western military technologies to support its industry, the statement said.

"According to some estimates, up to 95% of critical components of foreign production found in Russian weaponry destroyed in Ukraine originate from Western countries. These deliveries are known to be made not by state institutions but by private firms. Furthermore, the exports that reach Russia are not necessarily military goods but dual-use items, civilian products, or even household appliances," Kubai said.

In light of this, the Ukrainian diplomat called for vigilance toward such procurement attempts and the necessity to prevent them.

"Disrupting the supply of critical goods and technologies to Russia requires extensive, coordinated efforts from the private and public sectors. However, this will save the lives of many civilians in Ukraine and disrupt Putin's war machine," he said. "Comprehensive blocking of Russia's access to modern and sophisticated military technologies ultimately affects Russia's ability to produce, sustain, and deliver state-of-the-art weaponry to the battlefield in Ukraine."

In early January, Zelensky already stated that Russia had learned to bypass Western sanctions imposed against Moscow for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Politico also reported that Russia largely succeeds in circumventing technology-related sanctions, enabling Moscow to produce weapons and continue its war against Ukraine.

On December 18, the EU adopted the 12th package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. As stated by the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, it offers a "powerful set of new lists and economic measures that will further weaken the Russian military machine."