Russia is reportedly going cap in hand to allies asking for sold helicopter parts to be returned to restock the Russian military.
A Russian delegation in Egypt last April is said to have asked the Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah Al Sisi for more than a hundred helicopter engines to be given back.
According to reports, Mr Sisi obliged and around 150 engines are to be shipped back to Russia starting in December.
Pakistan, Belarus and Brazil have also apparently been approached as part of Russian efforts to replenish stocks.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the foreign ministry of Pakistan rejected any approach from Moscow, while Brazil stated that it turned down Russia’s request.
Belarus is said to have sold six Mi-26 heavy-transport engines back to Moscow, an insider source told the WSJ.
It comes as the UK Government imposed sanctions on a network of oligarchs and financiers linked to the oil and gold businesses holding up Russia’s war machine in Ukraine.
A total of 29 individuals and corporations have been sanctioned according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The move comes as part of efforts to strangle Russia’s war economy, which relies heavily on both sectors.
Among those on the list are Nord Gold and Highland Gold Mining, the largest two producers in Russia. Also included are mining magnate Vladislav Sviblov and oligarch Konstantin Strukov.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “Sanctions continue to deal a heavy blow to the Kremlin’s war economy, to date depriving Putin of over 400 billion US dollars to fund his illegal invasion of Ukraine. But we must keep tightening the screws on Moscow.
“Today’s sanctions will hit those who have provided succour to Putin by helping him to lessen the impact of our sanctions on Russian gold and oil – two critical sources of revenue for the Russian war machine.
“As we root out and close down these circumvention avenues, we’ll continue to box Putin in and make sure his faltering war effort in Ukraine ends in failure.”
