Ukrainian Armed Forces destroy Chinese all-terrain vehicles purchased by the Russian army for the first time
The first Desertcrosses were destroyed in the Kherson region, where Ukrainian Armed Forces units took a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River
Russia has purchased hundreds of Chinese Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicles. Although the vehicles, manufactured by Shandong Odes Industry, are not military equipment, they were purchased for the front line. Showing the vehicles to Vladimir Putin at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called them "extremely necessary."
Less than a month later, the necessary equipment began to die on the battlefield. On December 3, the Ukrainian military telegram channel published a video of two Chinese all-terrain vehicles shot down in the Krynok area, according to the Defence Blog.
The first Desertcross was destroyed in a forest near a village in Kherson region, where Ukrainian troops took a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
According to Pavel Luzin, an expert on the Russian armed forces and a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, Russia could have bought Desertcross, sold under the Aodes brand, on the secondary market without Shandong Odes' knowledge, the Financial Times reports.
"They may be better than the motorcycles and old [Soviet-made] cars that are now widely used by Russian soldiers, but that's about it. This is another indication that Russia cannot produce the necessary amount of equipment and goods for its army," he said.
It was noted that 537 units were delivered to the Russian army in the basic configuration (at a cost of $17,300 per vehicle), and about 1,500 more are being purchased with additional options (at a cost of $23,000), including 500 in December, and the rest in the first quarter of 2024.
The EU has been negotiating with Beijing to limit the supply of sanctioned products to Russia through China. This week, EU leaders will meet with Chinese leaders at the first summit in four years and intend to make this issue one of the main topics of discussion.
Background. As reported, China has refused to invest in the Russian gas project Power of Siberia 2 and is demanding a gas discount.
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