© Ria/Vitaly Ankov
According to Moscow business newspaper RBK daily, citing open data from the Federal Customs Service, many NATO countries have significantly increased the volume of imports from Russia in 2021. For example, in the first nine months of this year, imports to the Czech Republic have jumped up to $706 million - a massive increase from $102 million in the same period in 2020. The Americans have also sent a significantly larger sum, which now stands at $841 million, up from $706 million.
The data also revealed that Algeria remained the top importer of secret goods from Russia, after also heading the list in 2020.
After Algeria, there are six NATO member states - the US, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Estonia, and the Netherlands - plus China, India and the UAE.
The countries listed in the latest report are not the only NATO member states to purchase Russian military hardware. In particular, Turkey has come under fire from its allies after buying the S-400 mobile anti-aircraft weapon system. In 2020, the US sanctioned its NATO ally over the purchase, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claiming that it was the only option after America refused to sell its own 'Patriot' system.
Earlier this month, Russia also began to supply India with the state-of-the-art missile defense system, despite New Delhi receiving threats of possible sanctions from Washington.
Reader Comments
R.C.
A question for codis you've witnessed your country cease to exist and be supposedly merged? swallowed? by Germany and/or the EU, etc. Is there any common ground there in your experience that might help me with mine? Same for anyone whose country changed somehow like that - i.e., formally. Kind of what I'm hoping for in the US that all of the red states flat out secede from the Yankees once again, but hopefully with a more peaceful transformation and with a different result than in the War of Northern Aggression.
RC