Russia Increases Imports of Chinese Machine Tools for Defense Industry - Oj
odessa-journal.com
Facing sanctions, Russia boosts imports of Chinese machine tools with Western CNC systems for its military industry, reports Ukraine’s intelligence.

  • In 2024, Russia increased imports of Chinese machine tools for the defense industry due to tighter Western sanctions, according to Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

  • Authorities published data on 37 units of foreign equipment used by the Russia’s military-industrial complex, including the Almaz-Antey enterprise, which manufactures anti-aircraft weapons, and Russia’s largest producer of tanks and armored vehicles, Uralvagonzavod

  • Chinese machine tools are equipped with German and Japanese CNC systems—Siemens, Heidenhain, and Fanuc. The main reason is that Russians have experience working with Western systems, and most design programs for parts are created for them

  • According to available data, Russia continues to train new specialists to work with Siemens, Heidenhain, and Fanuc systems, making a transition to alternatives unlikely for now

  • Payments are mainly processed through VTB Bank and its Shanghai branch, with transactions carried out in Chinese yuan