Kyiv is paying exorbitant prices for Soviet-designed materiel, and has even managed to obtain Swiss ammo despite Geneva’s ban.
By SAM SKOVE
Two purchases of Swiss ammunition for Ukraine appear to violate Geneva’s prohibition on such transfers, while other Ukrainian arms deals have been concluded at exorbitant prices. That’s according to Ukrainian import records that illustrate Kyiv’s desperate hunt for defense materiel for its fight against Russian invaders.
In July alone, Ukrainian entities imported at least $346,067,021 worth of ammunition, including Soviet-designed munitions from factories in eastern Europe, according to Ukrainian documents gathered by Import Genius, an aggregator of trade data. These deals are unrelated to the billions of dollars in military aid provided by the U.S. and other supporters.
The documents show at least two Ukrainian imports of Swiss-made ammunition.
On July 14, Ukrainian Armor, an armored-vehicle-and-munition company, took receipt of 500,000 .308 Winchester rifle cartridges and 145,000 .338 Lapua Magnum rifle cartridges, according to documents for the .308 rounds and the .338 rounds. The records designate both rounds as armor-piercing. The .338 round is designed for long-range sniping, according to its manufacturer.
The import records show that the ammunition was made by SwissP Defence, a Swiss company whose website says it specializes in the military and law enforcement market. The rounds were delivered by Polish defense importer UMO to Ukrainian Armor, a privately-held defense manufacturer that is reportedly one of the largest private suppliers of the Ukrainian military.
Switzerland has banned shipments of munitions to both Russia and Ukraine. The hotly debated embargo previously prevented Germany from sending Swiss-made 35mm ammunition for Gepard anti-aircraft guns sent to Ukraine.
