russian propaganda resources have published photos showing the use of Chinese ZFB-05 armored personnel carriers by russian occupiers.
In these photos, we can see only one armored personnel carrier of this type, covered with protective grilles and equipped with a turret with a DShK machine gun. The question arises: how many of these vehicles russian invaders might actually have, and which units might have received the ZFB-05?
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It is should be noted that this is not the first time that Chinese ZFB-05s have been spotted in the possession of russian units. Kadyrovites revealed the fact that they had such vehicles in June 2023, but the source of supply was not disclosed.
The situation is complicated by the fact that China is massively exporting ZFB-05 vehicles to countries in different regions. Because of this, russians can easily buy Chinese armored vehicles "in third countries" without having to enter into complicated negotiations with China.
We should also recall the story that happened in August 2024 about the Chinese Dongfeng armored vehicle purchased by the russian federation and why it was given to the Moscow metro security, which was created as a paramilitary unit with the Kremlin's approval. This armored vehicle was formally registered as a civilian vehicle, meaning that russians pretended that they had simply bought a dual-use good.
It also should be noted that russia's 11th Airborne Assault Brigade got a certain number of Japanese Toyota HMV BXD10 off-road vehicles, which had been widely used in russian "civilian" market.
Therefore, a certain distinction should be made between signals about the appearance of certain dual-use equipment made in China, which may be used by russians, and really important technological assistance from China to russia, which has a real impact on the events during the war against Ukraine.
We also can point to the statement of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi that russia is using Chinese satellites to take pictures of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which in turn may indicate preparations for strikes on these facilities. An adviser to the Administration of the President of Ukraine of Ukraine Vladyslav Vlasiuk also said that russia receives 60% of the necessary imported components for weapons production from China.
These two things are strategically important in terms of strengthening the Kremlin for the war against Ukraine, while the Chinese dual-purpose vehicles only solve the problem of the occupiers' lack of vehicles.
Earlier Defense Express reported that russia had equipped Shahed-136 with Starlink.
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