More Chinese components appearing in Russian weapons, Kyiv says – live

Ukrainian forces are finding a growing number of components from China in Russian weapons used in Ukraine, a senior adviser in president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office told Reuters, as Western supplies are squeezed by sanctions.

In “the weapons recovered from the battlefield we continue to find different electronics,” said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises the president’s chief of staff on sanctions policy.

“The trend is now that there is less Western-made components but more – not hard (to) guess which country – made components. Of course, China,” he said.

China has repeatedly denied sending military equipment to Russia since Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The assault triggered Western sanctions, including on sending military and dual-use technology such as microchips that could be used in either ordinary appliances or weapons.

Intelligence gathered by Ukrainian experts from the battlefield and shared with Reuters stated that Chinese-made components were found in a navigation system in Orlan aerial drones that had previously used a Swiss system.

The experts also reported finding Chinese parts in the fire control system in Russian tanks that had earlier used French-made parts.

Reuters could not independently verify the intelligence, including whether the components mentioned may have been intended for non-military use or whether they were moved to Russia by a third party.

“We’re picking (up) a lot of different stuff, China made,” Mr Vlasiuk said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin met with China’s defence minister on Sunday, underscoring Beijing’s strengthening engagement with Moscow, with which it has largely aligned its foreign policy in an attempt to diminish the influence of the United States and other Western democracies.

Mr Putin and Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu met with general Li Shangfu less than a month after Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a three-day state visit to Moscow.

China has refused to criticise Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and blames the United States and Nato for provoking Moscow.

But China’s foreign minister said last week that China would not be helping Russia with weapons, as the US and other Western allies have feared.

Officially, China remains neutral in the Ukraine conflict.

However, Mr Xi’s trip emphasised how China is increasingly becoming the senior partner in the relationship as it provides Russia with political cover and an economic lifeline during the Ukraine conflict.

In comments opening the meeting in Moscow, Mr Putin praised the general development of Russia-China relations.

“We are also working actively through the military departments, regularly exchanging information that is useful to us, co-operating in the field of military-technical co-operation, conducting joint exercises, moreover, in different theatres: in the Far East region, and in Europe, and at sea, and on land and in the air,” he said, according to the Kremlin.

Mr Li said that the countries’ relations “outperform the military-political unions of the Cold War era. They rest on the principles of non-alignment, and are very stable.”

In the weeks since Chinese leader Xi Jinping won a third five-year term as president, setting him on course to remain in power for life, leaders and diplomats from around the world have beaten a path to his door. None more so than those from Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron made a high-profile state visit to Beijing last week accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in the northeast port city of Tianjin on Thursday, following a visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, would have been in China this week, too, but he tested positive for COVID-19.

For the 27-nation trading bloc, the reasons to head to China are clear.

As an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi could play a pivotal role in helping to end the war in Ukraine. The conflict has dragged on for over a year, driven up energy prices and inflicted more damage on economies struggling to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

Ukraine was able to identify some manufacturers or suppliers and share that information with Western allies, said a senior adviser in president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises the president’s chief of staff on sanctions policy, named China North Industries Group (Norinco), a Chinese weapons maker, as one supplier and military supplier Xinxing Guangzhou Import & Export Co as another, without saying what they had supplied.

A member of staff at Norinco, who declined to give their name, said the company was “not providing military equipment components to Russia”.

Xinxing Guangzhou Import & Export Co did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The top US diplomat Antony Blinken last month said China had not “crossed that line” yet of supplying Russia with lethal aid.

However, US officials are watching developments closely and are concerned, in particular, by so-called dual-use products, such as electronics that can be used in, say, a microwave or a missile.

“We and our partner governments are relentlessly focused on restricting Russia’s access to key technologies that fuel its brutality in Ukraine,” said a senior State Department official. “We will continue to take action to degrade Putin’s war machine.”

China has responded to claims from Ukraine that more Chinese components are appearing in Russian weapons, without categorically denying the accusation.

Asked whether Chinese companies had provided parts for Russian military hardware, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson’s office told Reuters: “Throughout history, China has launched normal trade cooperation with all countries, including Russia, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

“As for military item exports, China has throughout adopted a prudent and responsible attitude. China’s position and actions have always been this way.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with China‘s defense minister on Sunday, underscoring Beijing‘s strengthening engagement with Moscow, with which it has largely aligned its foreign policy in an attempt to diminish the influence of the United States and other Western democracies.

Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with Gen. Li Shangfu less than a month after Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a three-day state visit to Moscow.

China has refused to criticize Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and blames the United States and NATO for provoking Moscow. But China’s foreign minister said last week that China wouldn’t be helping Russia with weapons, as the U.S. and other Western allies have feared.

Officially, China remains neutral in the Ukraine conflict. However, Xi’s trip emphasized how China is increasingly becoming the senior partner in the relationship as it provides Russia with political cover and an economic lifeline during the Ukraine conflict.

In comments opening the meeting, Putin praised the general development of Russia-China relations.

Mr Gershkovich, 31, has been accused Russian officials of engaging in espionage. The reporter has categorically denied the allegations.

In his letter home, Mr Gershkovich said he was optimistic, looked forward to seeing his family, and poked fun at Russian prison food, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“I want to say that I am not losing hope,” he wrote. “I read. I exercise. And I am trying to write. Maybe, finally, I am going to write something good.”

The letter was addressed to his family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and dated 5 April. His mother told the paper that he tried to comfort them by adding humour to the note, joking about her cooking.

Ukraine’s foreign minister is to visit Iraq for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Dmytro Kuleba will land in Baghdad on Monday, AFP reports. Here, he is expected to hold talks with Iraq’s foreign minister alongside Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani.

Last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone call with Mr Sudani.

Notably, Iraq has adopted a neutral stance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, maintaining economic ties with both nations.

Russia is attempting to deport children in the occupied city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military spokesperson has said.

According to CNN, Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi made the claim on Ukrainian national TV. Some children were reportedly taken from their families and transported to Crimea in buses, Sky News reports.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin last month, citing an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

A 14-year-old girl has been rescued from the rubble following a Russian rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, Sky News reports.

Russian forces destroyed a five-storey building in Slovyansk, Donetsk on Friday. The bodies of two men were also retrieved from the ruins on Sunday afternoon, bringing the death toll up to 15.

A further 24 people have been injured, with the strike further hitting flats, cars and houses across the city.