Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechen republic, posted online last week a video of a Chinese-made armored vehicle, raising fresh questions about whether equipment from China could be used to support Russian military operations. Kadyrov is one of the supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
The eight unarmed armored personnel carriers appeared in a video posted by Kadyrov’s official Telegram account last Wednesday. Kadyrov is a close ally of Putin, albeit at times at odds. Kadyrov provided troops and equipment for Russia’s war in Ukraine, but could not determine how he might have used the Chinese vehicles.
The vehicles appear to be a multipurpose vehicle known as the Tiger, designed for limited military combat and riot police operations, with roof-mounted armament. The Hushi armored vehicles are produced by Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles Manufacturing, a military contractor in northern China.
The video showing Chinese armored vehicles in Chechnya has raised other questions, including why Kadyrov was showing the vehicles.
Shaanxi Baoji Special Purpose Vehicle did not respond to emailed questions. China’s foreign ministry said it was not aware of the incident, adding that China has always adhered to a policy of not “fanning the flames” on the Ukraine issue. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Analysts said the presence of the light armored vehicles in Ukraine could have more symbolic value than military value because they come from China, whose stance on the Russia-Ukraine war is closely scrutinized. The armored vehicles resemble more Humvees than tanks, and The Wall Street Journal was unable to determine when or how the Chinese armored vehicles appeared in Chechnya or how they might have been deployed.
China has rejected Western-led efforts to isolate neighboring Russia and has stepped up trade with Russia, including by exporting more cars and echoing some of Moscow’s rhetoric of war propaganda. However, China seems to have some scruples about providing Russia with weapons for the Ukrainian war. Instead, it regards itself as a regional peace mediator.
The appearance of Chinese equipment in Kadyrov’s video has aroused the attention of people in the military circle. “These are definitely Chinese-made Hushi armored vehicles,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Arms Transfer Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI. “There is no doubt about that. And these armored vehicles must be in Chechnya.”
Armored vehicles are China’s second-largest military export category in 2022, with sales of $392 million, after aircraft at $703 million, according to SIPRI. The agency’s database shows that China has exported Tiger armored vehicles to a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, the Bahamas and Tanzania.
But SIPRI has no record of Russia buying such vehicles, and Wezeman said Russia has typically used its own indigenous armored personnel carriers before. Imports from China could indicate production problems in Russia, he said.
The video above shows that Kadyrov is driving one of eight Chinese-made armored personnel carriers, with Chechen officials and members of the security forces sitting in the back. These eight vehicles were parked together with dozens of military vehicles. In front of Kadyrov’s official residence.
Kadyrov’s Telegram post said the equipment of Chechen troops participating in special military operations “is one of our highest priorities.” “We regularly buy military equipment to help our fighters more effectively carry out the tasks assigned to them,” he said. Russia called its invasion of Ukraine a special military operation.
Analysts said Kadyrov relied on Putin’s support, but his complex relationship with Moscow made it difficult to understand his intentions in the video bragging rights.
Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, said there would be little benefit to China exporting vehicles like the Tiger for use in conflict zones because they have very limited ability to affect the battlefield situation and are easily identified as out. “It’s a behavior that has a high probability of being detected and a low rate of return,” he said.
However, Chinese trucks are becoming more and more important to Russia.
Since the start of the war, Chinese sales of heavy trucks, such as semi-trucks, to Russia have surged to about 6,000 in April alone, according to data compiled by Webster from official trade statistics. Russia, like the United States, relies heavily on trucks for logistics, so as China’s overall exports to Russia and its neighbor Belarus balloon, equipment supplies are at least indirectly supporting Moscow’s war effort.
Wang Baohe, chairman of Shaanxi Baoji Special Purpose Vehicle, told Chinese media that the 4.5-ton Hushi armored vehicle he designed was more powerful than the American Humvee; Unharmed when hit. The company says the vehicle seats two in the front and nine in the back, can reach speeds of more than 70 miles per hour, and has a body that is resistant to close-range fire from an AK47 assault rifle. Wang Baohe was a taxi driver, and then successfully transformed into a military contractor.
Shaanxi Baoji Special Purpose Vehicle stated that the company produces more than 600 light wheeled armored vehicles of various types annually, and Chinese peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon and Haiti have already used the Hushi armored vehicles.
According to some military websites, the protection level of the Hushi armored vehicle is too low to be suitable for intensive combat. “At this stage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, if you’re actually going to use it in Ukraine, I think the extra armor protection is preferable to the extra speed,” said Scott Boston, a senior defense analyst at Rand in Washington. However, he said the faster vehicles could be used as ambulances or for personnel firing mortars.