Deutsche Welle: Russia obtains sniper rifles from the EU and the US via post-Soviet countries

Russia continues to receive sniper rifles and ammunition from the European Union and the United States through former Soviet states, circumventing sanctions. This conclusion comes from a joint investigation published by The Insider (Russia), Investigace (Czech Republic), IrpiMedia (Italy), and Vlast (Kazakhstan), which was reviewed by Deutsche Welle. The investigation revealed that Western weapons are entering Russia through post-Soviet countries.

According to international statistics, exports of rifles and hunting guns from the EU, Turkey, and the U.S. to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have increased 2.7 times from 2020 to 2023, totaling 53,211 units.

For instance, the export of rifles and hunting guns from Italy to Armenia grew from 68 units in 2019 to 1,862 in 2023. Kyrgyzstan did not purchase any weapons from Italy in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022, supplies amounted to 882 units, and in 2023, they rose to 4,434 units.

The largest supply wave was the export from Turkey to Georgia, which surged from 8,426 units in 2019 to 18,843 in 2023. Sales of rifles and hunting guns from the U.S. to Georgia were recorded at 431 units in 2021, jumping to 4,140 units in 2022.

The largest European arms manufacturer directly linked to a Russian recipient is the Luxembourg-based Beretta holding. In 2024, it supplied more than a thousand weapons and over 1 million cartridges to Russia, produced by the holding’s European companies.