Canada-based Global News said Canadian-made firearms – some brand new – have made their way into the hands of Russian troops despite Western sanctions.
In particular, Canadian-made Cadex sniper rifles were displayed at an arms exhibition in Moscow, and Russian snipers have also been seen brandishing the same rifles in social media posts from the front in Ukraine.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Exiled Russian journalist Sergey Panov told Global News that Russian snipers often prize foreign rifles.
New Cadex models appeared at Moscow’s OrelExpo 2025 and on the website of local gun dealer Varyag, according to Global News, but the outlet said neither OrelExpo nor Varyag responded to its request for comments.
The report suggested that most rifles were resold via multiple countries to bypass sanctions, with Panov suggesting that most went through Italy and entered Russia via Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, based on his investigations.
Cadex President Serge Dextraze, in his interview with Global News, acknowledged that some rifles have made their way to Russia, saying he has taken all possible steps to stop it.
Dextraze cited an instance in which Russian customs listed 10 Cadex rifles with sequential serial numbers as being imported, and he then blacklisted the US seller to whom he originally sold the rifles.
He said Cadex follows all protocols and has turned down buyers deemed potentially dangerous to Canadian interests. Still, his law enforcement contacts told him that “Nobody can stop the Russians to get what they want. They always find a way.”
Mazda Becomes First Foreign Carmaker to Lose Control of Its Russian Joint Venture
“So, of course, some people try to put their hands on us. But when they decide they want something, we try to stop it, and there’s not much we can do,” he told Global News.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ihor Michalchyshyn called the incident “yet more evidence that Canadian sanctions enforcement is lacking and ineffectual.”
Ottawa later said on Friday it is aware of Canadian rifles found in Russia and is reviewing existing legislation in a bid to curb such cases.
“Any violations of import and export laws will be looked at very carefully,” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said during a conversation with journalists in Ottawa, according to Ukrainian state media Ukrinform.
“Our system of export control of military goods is one of the best in the world, so we will monitor and study these suspicions very carefully.”
In late 2024, Ottawa was also criticized for doing little to stop the illicit flow of microelectronics into Russia.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
