cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1935086

China is helping Russia’s military drone production by becoming a hub for the smuggling of critical Western components for Moscow’s armed forces, Estonia’s foreign intelligence said in its annual national security report published on Wednesday.

Some 80% of such components reaching Russia now come from China, it said. Previous Ukrainian reports have suggested that roughly 60% of foreign parts found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine have come via China.

China is Russia’s “primary hub” for importing high-tech and dual-use goods, evading Western sanctions, according to the report.

“Chinese interests here lie in preventing Russia from losing the war in Ukraine as such an outcome would represent a victory for the United States, which is the main rival for China,” Kaupo Rosin, director general of the service, told reporters in a video call.

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NATO member Estonia closely tracks Russian military capabilities as it regards Moscow as the major threat to its security, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022.

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Russia is “in principle willing” to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine but only “to catch breath” because President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his “imperial ambitions”, Rosin said.

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