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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 said, as Western supplies are squeezed by sanctions.
The comments came as Russian president Vladimir Putin and defence minister Sergei Shoigu met with China’s defence minister general Li Shangfu less than a month after Xi Jinping held a three-day state visit to Moscow.
In “the weapons recovered from the battlefield we continue to find different electronics,” said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises the Ukrainian 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 via a video call.
China has repeatedly denied sending military equipment to Russia since Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, officially remaining neutral in the conflict.
Earlier, Mr Putin admitted on Sunday that he is facing “serious challenges” as he celebrated the second Orthodox Easter of his war with Ukraine.