The Wall Street Journal reports,RussiaAlthough its weapons production is restricted by international sanctions, it still imports large quantities of nitrocellulose, a key material for artillery shells, through a Turkish company and from companies in the United States and other Western countries and allied countries, including a Taiwanese company. Can get.
The Wall Street Journal reported that nitrocellulose is a highly flammable substance made from cotton that is essential in making gunpowder and rocket propellant. Trade data shows that after Russia launched full-scale aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, nitrocellulose imports increased by 70% that year; And imports in the first half of last year reached 3,039 metric tons, almost double its imports in 2021.
However, of late, defense manufacturers around the world have been trying their best to obtain nitrocellulose due to the shortage and rising prices of this material, resulting in disruptions in weapon production. Nitrocellulose is produced in only a few countries around the world because its main use is in the manufacture of munitions, so it is subject to international trade restrictions.
Nitrocellulose is the main component of smokeless gunpowder used in artillery. According to US officials and analysts, Russia produces so little nitrocellulose that its ability to obtain it from abroad would be critical in the war against Ukraine.
China’s response comes after the United States and the European Union imposed restrictions on the export of any items that could be supplied to the Russian military.RussiaNitrocellulose supplies increased. However, trade data shows that over the past two years, the United States,GermanyShipments from nitrocellulose manufacturers in Taiwan flowed into Russia.
According to Russian customs records provided by trade database company ImportGenius, before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, less than 1% of nitrocellulose imported by Russia came from Turkey; But after the war, about half of the materials imported by Russia came from a small Turkish company, Noy İç Ve Diš Ticaret (hereinafter referred to as Noy). Türkiye is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Noy’s records show that the Istanbul-based company sells nitrocellulose to Russia, mostly to Russian companies that are registered as contractors for the Russian central government. And according to trade data, more than 500 metric tons of nitrocellulose exported by Noy to Russia last year was purchased from Taiwanese producer Tai Nitrogen Co., Ltd.
The Central News Agency reported on February 25 that from March 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023, the top three sources of nitrocellulose in Russia were China, Taiwan and Germany, and 80% of the nitrocellulose produced in Taiwan was processed through NOY flow. Was. Russia and its producers include Taipei Nitrogen Co., Ltd.
In addition, judging from the freight traffic data, the Russian importer “Analytical Marketing Chemical Group” has received about 700,000 US dollars worth of nitrocellulose from Taiwan in the past two years. Its official website shows that it is a regular supplier to Russia’s Kazan State Gunpowder Plant. According to the social media account of the gunpowder factory, it produces many types of weapons.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022, Noy began exporting nitrocellulose to Russia within three months; And since then, a large part of this material produced by companies of Western allies has also flowed to Russia through Noy.
For example, several subsidiaries of the New York-based American company International Flavors & Fragrances in Germany sold at least 80 metric tons of nitrocellulose NOY for resale to Russia last year. Hagedorn-NC, a German company that has been producing nitrocellulose for more than 100 years, has also sold about 500 metric tons of production to Russia over the past two years.
A spokesperson for International Flavors and Fragrances told the Wall Street Journal in a statement that they have suspended nitrocellulose exports to Russia through April 2022 and are surprised that the products continue to be supplied to Russia through third parties. They would review sales and customer relations, but stressed that their products did not contain enough nitrogen for military-grade use.
Taiwan Nitrogen also said it had no knowledge of nitrocellulose produced by Noy being sold to Russia, and also stressed that the nitrogen content of their products is below military grade limits. Taiwan Nitrogen also said that Taiwanese authorities had confirmed earlier this month that their exports comply with safety regulations, and “the company will continue to export industrial grade nitrocellulose.”
However, Michelle Pantoya, a professor of mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University in the United States, pointed out that the nitrogen content of civilian nitrocellulose can be increased to weapons grade, so it does not matter what grade of nitrocellulose it is, “Chemical “Formally from a thermodynamic standpoint and thermodynamically speaking, it is an excellent component of an artillery system.”
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