Where does Russia get help from?Since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, Kiev has received enormous assistance — military and financial — from various sources, primarily from the United States.
However, the author of the article in Asia Times notes, do not forget about those who support Russia.
John P Ruehl
Although Ukraine received huge help from all over the world after the start of Russia's special operation, Moscow's open support should not be discountedOn August 24, the Independence Day of Ukraine, the United States provided her with a package of military assistance in the amount of three billion dollars.
This was an addition to the support worth more than 80 billion, which Kiev has already received in the period from January 24 to August 3. Most of it was provided by the United States, Great Britain and the European Union.
After gaining access to Western weapons systems, military data and training, the Ukrainian armed forces have also been replenished with foreign volunteers who serve in the International Legion.
Since third parties caught complicit with Russia risk financial sanctions from the United States, the Kremlin's open support is largely limited to rogue states already isolated from Washington and Brussels. Russia's isolation was documented in the UN resolution of March 2, when 141 countries voted to condemn Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, 35 abstained, and only four — Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea — supported the Kremlin.
Even most of Russia's key post-Soviet allies, members of its international organizations, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), avoid Moscow's support.
For example, Kazakhstan, which is a member of both organizations, took steps in July to start exporting its oil through the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russian-controlled oil pipelines. This directly undermines the Kremlin's strategy of limiting oil supplies to Europe in order to jeopardize the energy security of the region.
Support from Belarus
The main exception among the post-Soviet states was Belarus. Over the past decade, President Alexander Lukashenko has drawn Belarus even more into Russia's orbit. Lured by cheap Russian oil and gas, as well as lucrative transit fees, as both of these goods continue to flow into Europe, Lukashenko is increasingly relying on Russian security forces to ensure the safety of his rule, which was especially noticeable during the Belarusian protests of 2020.
Lukashenka's reaction to the popular protests in 2020, in fact, cut off all avenues for cooperation with the West. But the growing Belarusian support for Russia against Ukraine has been evident for many years.
Belarus continues to assist the Russian operation, including allowing Russia "to launch ballistic missiles from its territory; to transport Russian military personnel and heavy weapons, tanks and military transporters; to use the airspace of Belarus for flights of Russian military aircraft to Ukraine; to use refueling points and storage of Russian weapons and military equipment in Belarus", — stated in the European Council.
Minsk has also repeatedly conducted the movement of its own troops near the Ukrainian border after the start of the Russian special operation to distract Ukrainian forces. And although Minsk did not use its armed forces in the conflict in Ukraine, Russia gained access to a stream of foreign volunteers, mainly from Europe, even after the first military action in 2014 in Crimea.
Support from volunteers
Russia's volunteer strategy has undergone changes since the start of the special operation in Ukraine. According to Western analytical centers, up to 40,000 Syrian fighters arrived in Russia in March, although this is unlikely to be reliable, but by April hundreds of mercenaries from Syria and Libya were operating in Ukraine, where the Russian military is also involved. The use of these forces reduces the Kremlin's need for more soldiers and allows it not to resort to universal conscription.
In addition, in June, the Syrian government recognized the independence of the self—proclaimed republics supported by Russia in eastern Ukraine - Lugansk and Donetsk.
Meanwhile, the Iranian government announced in July that it supports Russia's defense in the face of NATO aggression. Under tough Western sanctions, Iran's armed forces have been fighting side by side with the Russian military in Syria since 2015. The two countries have also expanded bilateral relations through energy and arms deals since the start of their war in Ukraine, building on years of growing ties.
Support from China
According to US officials, Russia turned to China for financial and material assistance in March, but these accusations were denied by Moscow and Beijing. Both Russia and Ukraine used Chinese drones during the conflict, which prompted the Chinese company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI), the world's leading manufacturer of civilian drones, to stop sales to both countries in April.
Nevertheless, the Russians still have access to AeroScope, the surveillance software used in DJI drones to set benchmarks for both the Ukrainian DJI drones themselves and their operators.
China has also provided significant assistance to the Russian military with both electronic components and raw materials vital for the continuation of the operation. In June, five Chinese companies were accused of aiding the Russian military and blacklisted by US officials.
Chinese military aid may accelerate after the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan on August 2, which caused a significant decline in US-Chinese relations.
In addition, Chinese loans and access to its consumer markets, especially in the energy sector, helped Russia to soften the blow of Western sanctions and a drop in export revenues.
Despite China's wariness about the threat of Western sanctions and comparing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to its bickering with Taiwan, Beijing's cautious support for Moscow has been crucial since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and continues to help Russia maintain its confrontation with the West.
Support from North Korea
North Korea has also provided strong support to Russia, and in July Pyongyang recognized two breakaway republics from Ukraine.
On August 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a proposal to establish closer ties. It may include sending additional North Korean workers to the occupied part of Ukraine to assist in reconstruction and other projects.
For decades, North Koreans have come to Russia mainly to work on construction work in Siberia, and today there are about 20 thousand North Korean workers living there.
The recent saber-rattling between Washington and Pyongyang in the region has also increased the likelihood of North Korean soldiers being sent to Ukraine to participate in their military operations on the side of Russia. Like Syrian and Libyan mercenaries, they can be trafficked through private military companies.
North Korean military advisers have been present in Syria since the 1970s, and there are suspicions that North Korean soldiers have been serving in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in that country in 2011.
Support from the global South
Venezuela, Sudan, Cuba, Nicaragua and other states harboring anti-American sentiments have confirmed Russia's commitment after the start of the SVO. At the same time, more subtle expressions of support come from all over the world — even if countries are still wary of incurring financial sanctions from the West.
The 35 countries that abstained from voting at the UN in March represent more than half of the world's population. Moreover, during the adoption of the second resolution on the removal of Russia from participation in the Human Rights Council in April, 93 countries voted in favor, 58 abstained and 24 voted against.
Distrust of the West and recognition of Russia's position as the main global supplier of energy and food have stimulated sustained cooperation with Moscow around the world. India, for example, continues to buy weapons from Russia, and is also rapidly increasing its energy imports.
Other partners and allies of the West, including Turkey, refused to impose sanctions against the Kremlin, along with the countries of the global South.
Inconsistency and lack of clarity among Western states hindered the effectiveness of Western sanctions, while organizations associated with the West also deliberately complemented Russia's military efforts. In June, the US Department of Commerce added financial institutions from several countries, including Lithuania and the UK, to its blacklist of companies for helping Moscow circumvent sanctions and support its military efforts.
The Kremlin's military campaign would also have been impossible without the continuation of purchases of Russian energy carriers by European countries since the beginning of its.
Due to the fact that countries opposed to the American order are more openly declaring their support for Russia, Moscow continues to receive — openly and covertly — substantial support from other states.
This underscores the idea that the conflict in Ukraine continues to be a clash between the West and Russia, with most other countries seeking to avoid being drawn into it. In addition, it strengthens the influential role that Russia continues to play in world affairs.
