Western arms loopholes fuel Russian sniper capabilities
Despite the European Union embargo imposed on Russia back in 2014, Moscow continues to purchase sniper weapons and ammunition from Western manufacturers. As it turns out, Western companies have increased the sale of weapons to countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus, from where they reach Russia, reports Insider.
Insider conducted a journalistic investigation together with portals from the Czech Republic (Investigate.cz), Italy (IrpiMedia), and Kazakhstan (Vlast.kz). It was found that in recent years, companies from the European Union, the United States, and Turkey have increased weapon supplies to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Every year, these countries receive tens of thousands of weapons, which then reach the aggressor country.
In September this year, on the Crimea occupied by Russia, a sniping competition was held. In the 1,600-metre competition, the most popular weapon used by Russian snipers was the American Desert Tech SRS (7 out of 36 shooters), the British Accuracy International AXSR (7 out of 36), and the Austrian Steyr Mannlicher SSG (also 7 out of 36). Only seven shooters used Russian-made weapons, and only four used Russian ammunition.
In 2020, Western sniper weapon manufacturers sold a total of 19,556 precision firearms to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. By 2023, this number increased to 53,211. Western manufacturers officially sell weapons to companies in countries neighbouring Russia. These weapons can then be easily found on store shelves or through private sellers in Russia; the same goes for ammunition, according to Insider's journalistic investigation.
Insider claim that when the EU countries imposed an arms sales embargo on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, the regulations contained two significant loopholes.
First, EU Council Regulation No. 833/2014 of July 31, 2014, allowed for new deliveries under contracts concluded before August 1, 2014. Secondly, the document did not foresee any export control measures to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
These countries are connected by a customs union, and are members of the military-political bloc CSTO, meaning a customs declaration or weapon certificate issued by one of the EAEU countries is valid in any other, including Russia.
Insider also notes that modern Western sniper weapons are purchased by Russians partly because the most common Russian-produced sniper rifle, the SVD, or Dragunov sniper rifle, was developed in 1963 and has not seen significant modernization.
Its effective range is 600-700 metres, whereas modern Western weapons are accurate at several times that distance and are significantly lighter.
