Not only with weapons: how Iran, India and China are helping Russia wage war

Russia is looking for allies in order to continue the war against Ukraine, however, there are very few people willing to cooperate with it. Countries that still maintain relations with the Putin regime include Iran, North Korea, India.

It is unlikely that India buys ammunition from Russia, because it produces them itself. About this 24 Channelsaid Deputy Director of the Army Research Center, military expert Mikhail Samus, noting that this country is pursuing a multi-vector policy.

How India sponsors a war

Indian authorities buy fighters from France, military transport aircraft, helicopters from the United States, and even earlier purchased fighters from Russia. However, India is gradually moving away from cooperation with the aggressor country in terms of military-technical cooperation. Although their dependence is still very high.

India is involved in large oil projects with Russia. Together with China, it has become Russia’s largest client in the oil trade, that is, India is the biggest sponsor of the war against Ukraine,” noted Mikhail Samus.

So, India's policy is extremely multi-vector. On the one hand, it very powerfully finances the Russian military machine, but on the other hand, it buys American weapons or French aircraft. Moreover, he can even negotiate with the Germans about Ukraine, as the German press claims.

Indian foreign policy is very complex. It lies in the maximum realization of national interests. But we must not forget that India’s biggest competitor in the security sphere is China.

China is not sleeping and is also using Russia in its interests. It seems to me that India needs to crystallize its multi-vector nature and understand that in 10 years the situation may change. We must prepare for this now,” noted the military expert.

Does Russia really have a weapons shortage

When we talk about a shortage of shells or weapons among the occupiers, we should understand that we are talking specifically about a production shortage. Russia really has problems with tank production. In fact, they can no longer be created, but only restored, repaired or removed from storage and then sent to Ukraine. The same can be said about artillery.

The Russians cannot produce enough ammunition on their own. To do this, they use North Korea, and pay for it with money they earned from selling oil to India and China,” Samus emphasized.

Therefore, Iran and North Korea manufacture ammunition and missiles, Iran – “Shaheeds” and missiles. Discussions are currently ongoing about whether all of these weapons are already in Ukraine. But it is worth understanding that these states have no reason not to sell weapons to the occupiers if they pay money for them.

So, the biggest problem is that Russia does not have a shortage of money. It is only possible if other countries stop trading oil with it and deprive the occupiers of the opportunity to earn tens of billions of dollars. After all, Russians invest these funds in military production.

The shortage in Russia is precisely in production. They lack technology, components, even skilled labor. But, unfortunately, so far everything is fine with money, and in this world money can buy everything,” summed up Mikhail Samus.

How India and China sponsor a war

• Due to increased sanctions, the situation in the oil market for Russia has worsened significantly. Its shadow fleet, which transported raw materials, can no longer do so because it is on the sanctions list. Although India buys oil from Russia, there are certain restrictions now because the countries have not been able to agree on payment. Therefore, 14 ships that were heading to India did not reach their destination.
• While India and Russia cannot agree on the currency for payment, China continues to increase its purchase volumes. Chinese private refiners purchased an average of 168,000 barrels of Sokol oil per day in February 2024. This is three times more than in January, as well as for 2023.
• Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that negotiations are underway with the Chinese about the possibility of obtaining a loan in yuan. Moscow is allegedly ready to begin testing this currency during payments. This decision is associated with frozen Russian assets. The European Union must determine how to use these funds.