Chinese ATV giant blacklisted by Ukraine for aiding Russia's war effort
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has included Chinese ATV and all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Shandong Odes Industry Co (Aodes) on its list of international war sponsors, reported the press service of the agency.
The Chinese company supplies vehicles for the Russian army and pays taxes to the budget of the aggressor state.
Aodes has been supplying its products to Russia since 2021. The official distributor of Aodes in the country is the company Mercury-DV. In 2022 alone, it paid more than $797,000 in taxes to the Russian state budget.
The Russian representative office of Aodes has more than 60 dealerships.
In the period from February 24, 2022 to July 31, 2023, Aodes exported goods worth $16 million to the Russian Federation. These are ATVs, spare parts for repair and maintenance, inflatable boats.
In March and April 2023, the company sent 137 Desertcross vehicles worth more than $1.5 million to Russia. From October 2022 to August 2023, it exported spare parts for ATVs and all-terrain vehicles worth $19 million.
In 2023, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation purchased Chinese Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicles for the needs of its army.
As of mid-November 2023, the Russian Army had 537 Desertcross 1000-3 units at its disposal, and by the end of March 2024, another 1,590 units with "additional options" should be purchased.
These machines received special units for transporting ammunition, other cargo weighing up to 550 kg, and sanitary evacuation tasks.
Recently released Ukrainian military footage confirms the destruction of two Desertcross 1000-3 ATVs near the village of Krynky in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine.
"The company Shandong Odes Industry, through the distributors Mercury-DV and Formula D, provides the technological capabilities of the aggressor state, actively supports the economy and the war machine of Russia. There were no attempts to condemn Russia's war against Ukraine from the company's management," the NACP said.
On November 30, 2023, the Belgian Fluxys was added to the list of war sponsors as it helps the Russian Federation with liquefied gas.
On December 17, Ukraine suspended Raiffeisen bank's presence on the list of war sponsors.
On December 20, China's second largest state-owned construction company was added to the list of war sponsors. Beijing has asked Ukraine to remove the company from the list.
