Amid international sanctions, Russia may have become the world's leading military goods smuggler, seeking every opportunity to obtain foreign equipment and components for military use, Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, has told the telethon.
"The occupiers are looking for opportunities that are often associated with those grey imports or banal smuggling. Today, Russia is one of the leaders, probably the leader of military goods smuggling. And it has been taking extremely serious efforts in this regard in order to collect at least something in the world that can be used, modernised or produced in the war against Ukraine," Yusov said.
At the same time, the Russians have not yet been able to achieve the desired volumes of production and modernisation of missile weapons. Russia is currently able to produce missiles for direct use, not for stockpiling.
Yusov explained what exactly Russia lacks now.
"Everything related to modern optics, modern electronics, processors, circuits, chips. Of course, this is something that is critically lacking for the Russian Putin regime. And they are trying to get these tools by any means necessary," Yusov said.