Russia in Last-Ditch Attempt to Block Soviet Weapon Transfers to Kyiv

Russia is fighting to prevent the transfer of Soviet weapons to Ukraine amid the war, which is now in its third year, an official said.

Moscow is taking a number of measures to block Soviet weapons transfers to the war-torn country, including revoking the licenses of companies abroad that repair the equipment, said Dmitry Shugayev, director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.

"Companies' licenses for the right to repair military equipment of Russian [Soviet] production are being revoked, deliveries of spare parts and components are being suspended, and other measures are being taken to counter the illegal transfer of domestic weapons to Ukraine," he told state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

It comes two-and-a-half years into the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and days into Ukraine's incursion in Russia's Kursk region, which has seen Kyiv's forces take control of 74 settlements, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Shugayev told the news agency that Russia in 2022 revoked the licenses of multiple companies in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic to repair Soviet-designed military helicopters.

He added that the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation closely monitors the unauthorized transfer of Russian military products to other countries.

Weeks after the war began on February 24, 2022, the U.S. pledged Soviet-era Mi-17 personnel transport helicopters to Ukraine, which were originally purchased for Afghanistan's military.

"These new capabilities include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers," U.S. President Joe Biden said in April 2022, announcing an $800 million security package. "I have also approved the transfer of additional helicopters."

The first batch of the helicopters arrived in Ukraine in May 2022.

Russian forces are struggling to fend off Ukrainian advances in the Kursk region after Kyiv launched an armored assault on August 6.

Kyiv's military has seized more territory in the Kursk region in days than Russia has captured in Ukraine since the beginning of the year, according to analysis by Russian investigative site Agentstvo. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's commander-in chief, said the area of military operations in the Kursk region had exceeded 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) by Monday.

"Despite difficult and intense battles, our forces continue to advance in the Kursk region, and our state's 'exchange fund' is growing. Seventy-four settlements are under Ukrainian control," Zelensky said in a video address to the nation on Tuesday.

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