Main image: Social media posts showing Russian snipers with Canadian rifles.
Canadian firearms are ending up in Russia despite numerous sanctions.
This was reported in an investigation by Global News.
“Despite sanctions banning military exports to Russia, Canadian firearms are still finding their way into the country waging war against its neighbors. Photos of rifles made in Canada are increasingly appearing on Russian social media, both in the hands of snipers and for sale,” Global News states.
The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the presence of sanctioned Western weapons in Russia could be due to them being captured on the battlefield.
Serge Dextraze, president of the Canadian company Cadex, which manufactures sniper rifles now appearing in Russia, assured that the company strictly follows sanction laws.
He noted that Canadian weapons can reach Russia after multiple resales. This occurred in 2023 when several rifles with certain serial numbers were unauthorizedly transferred to Russia. The company immediately ceased cooperation with the U.S. importer responsible for this.
However, private arms companies have limited ability to track the end users of their products.
“Russians are capable of obtaining anything from anywhere,” Serge Dextraze noted.
