Russia installs on warships components from China-made household appliances – intelligence report

Due to international sanctions imposed on Russia, certain components of Chinese-produced household appliances have been installed on some Russian warships.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as seen by Ukrinform.

"International sanctions imposed against the occupying power hinder full-fledged maintenance and repair of navigation diesel equipment of their fleet's warships," the statement said.

According to the GUR defense intelligence agency, “in order to ensure buoyancy on some ships, including cruise missile carriers, instead of the original units, the Russians install those taken from Chinese-made home appliances, which were purchased at a hugely inflated price. Now, the occupiers, who are aware of the ‘import substitution’ practices, see every deployment as a one-way ticket. After all, it could be their last one and also lead to an environmental disaster in the region.”

“The Caspian Flotilla Command, fearing inspections and allegations of embezzlement of spare parts, ordered to conceal the warships’ incapacity. Those guilty of leaking such information are threatened treason charges, which could lend whistleblowers in prison for up to 15 years,” the report reads.

The Ukrainian spy agency adds that the sailors with the 106th brigade of surface ships of the Caspian flotilla of Russia’s Southern Military District, part of a naval group involved in the war against Ukraine, are now refusing to perform combat missions due to the emergency state of their ships. The occupiers decided to pen secret letters to Vladimir Putin and defense chief Sergei Shoigu to expose financial scheming by their commanders.

GUR published a list of the said unit’s servicemen, noting that all war criminals will be exposed and prosecuted for crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, under the influence of international sanctions, Russia's economy continues to move toward collapse. The bravura statements of the Kremlin leadership about Russia's financial growth, improved well-being of Russians, and the operation that is going “according to plan” contradict the outlook voiced by the Russian Ministry of Economy. Officials estimate GDP fall at 8% by the end of 2022.