Zelenskyy holds meeting with foreign intelligence to counter sanctions evasion by Russia

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

All Russian missiles contain foreign components, so the West needs to block ways to bypass sanctions against Russia, according to President Zelenskyy.

“We continue our communication with partners on sanctions against Russia – their full effect. All of our diplomatic representatives must step up their efforts to ensure that our partners respond more actively to every instance of Russia’s circumstances of sanctions,” the statement reads.

According to the president, this is not just an abstract issue but specifically about how Russia manufactures weapons, including missiles. Zelenskyy states that all Russian missiles contain dozens of crucial components manufactured abroad, with many supplied by companies from the free world.

“Today, the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, made a report on this. These are clear facts. So blocking the ways Russia circumvents sanctions is literally blocking terror. I am grateful to all partners who understand this and to everyone in the world who helps us in this work,” adds Zelenskyy.

Sanctions evasion by Russia

In early January, Zelenskyy had already stated that Russia had learned to bypass Western sanctions imposed against Moscow for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Politico also reported that Russia had been successful in circumventing sanctions, particularly in the field of technology. This enables Moscow to manufacture weapons and continue the war against Ukraine.

A representative of Czech intelligence has recently stated that Russian special services remain active in Europe, helping to circumvent European Union sanctions, as they have done in the past.