Why is the Russian Military Struggling?..."Corruption Evident, Using Chinese Knockoff Tires on Armored Vehicles"

Foreign Media: "Russia's Annual Defense Budget Reaches 95 Trillion Won, but Corrupt Senior Officials Embezzle Funds"
"Maintenance of Military Trucks and Others Also Neglected"

Residents in Trostyanets, northeastern Ukraine, are passing by a Russian military tank abandoned in a vacant lot in a residential area after being destroyed.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Woo-seok] Allegations have been raised that the reason the Russian military, currently at war with Ukraine, is struggling is due to defense industry corruption, such as using cheap Chinese tires on armored vehicles.

Foreign media including the UK Daily Mail and New Zealand Times reported on the 1st (local time), citing anonymous sources, that "Russia's defense budget amounts to ?60 billion (approximately 95.4 trillion KRW) per year, but corrupt senior Russian military officials are embezzling a large portion of it."

They added, "Because cheap tires were used on expensive armored vehicles, combat vehicles are unable to maneuver in rough terrain," and "As a result, Russia's advance may have slowed down."

According to Karl Moos, a professor at the University of Chicago who identifies himself as a 'tire expert,' NATO European Union forces use Michelin XZL tires on their military vehicles, but Russian military vehicles use the Chinese product Huang Hai YS20, which imitates the Michelin XZL tire.

Foreign media explained that while 50 Michelin XZL tires are sold for about $36,000 (approximately 45.6 million KRW) on Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce platform, the Huang Hai YS20 is sold for about $208 (approximately 260,000 KRW).

The Daily Mail and others also pointed to poor vehicle maintenance as a cause of the Russian military vehicle stagnation.

Former US military vehicle mechanic Trent Telenko claimed, "Maintenance is not properly carried out on Russian military trucks and others," and "Military truck tires are prone to tearing or breaking if left unattended for several months under the truck's pressure."

He also said, "Russian officials are too corrupt to deploy trucks and armored vehicles to Ukraine."

Meanwhile, some analysts predict that Russia may declare full-scale war on May 9, the Victory Day commemorating the end of World War II. Until now, Russia has referred to its invasion of Ukraine as a 'special military operation.' According to the Telegraph and others, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated, "President Putin may declare that 'Russia is at war with Nazis worldwide and that a large-scale mobilization of Russians is necessary,'" and that such a declaration is likely on May 9.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.