British arms firms given licences to sell £1.5bn of weapons and technology to Russia from sniper rifles to tanks since 2010

The government has granted licences to sell £1.5 billion worth of military-capable equipment to Russia since 2010, according to official figures. British companies have been handed £1,511,506,329 worth of permits to sell weapons and technology to Russia in just over a decade, with 1,669 licences dished out by officials to the Vladimir Putin-led state.

An extra 254 licences had an “unlimited” value - effectively giving firms free rein to sell to Russians. The vast majority of the total is ‘dual-use’ items which could be used for either military or peaceful means. That can include night vision and thermal imaging tech, lasers, encryption software, nuclear equipment and more.

The value of military and dual-use exports approved by the UK government to Russia far exceeds the value approved for Ukraine since 2010, Byline Times has reported - with £56 million-worth of export licences for military goods approved to Russia in this time, compared to £38 million for Ukraine.

 Leon Klein/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Donetsk destruction

Arms equipment able to be sold to Russia since 2010 includes 49 licences for weapon sights contracts, 28 for small arms ammunition and 12 for sniper rifles. It includes UK firms like London-based gunmaker Holland and Holland and hunting gear firm TacticalScope. It is likely that the majority was used for hunting.

But it also includes £10 million in licences for armoured vehicles and tanks, £4 million for aircraft and drones, and another £4 million for use on warships. Licences for arms gear plummeted after the UK imposed an arms embargo following Russia’s illegal 2014 invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

On February 24, 2022 the Prime Minister announced plans to ban the export of all dual-use items to Russia, saying it would include “a range of high-end and critical technological equipment and components in sectors including electronics, telecommunications and aerospace".

Reference: My London: Josiah Mortimer