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Hunting rifle scopes manufactured by Western companies are ending up in the hands of Russian fighters in Ukraine, independent Russian media outlet Important Stories reported on Dec. 26.
Russian arms companies are purchasing the sights from Western companies including U.S.-based Leupold, U.S.-Japanese firm Nightforce, U.S.-Chinese company Holosun, and Austria's Swarovski Optik, according to the investigation.
Although they are only intended for hunting and sporting purposes, Important Stories found dozens of YouTube videos showing Russian fighters using the scopes on the frontline.
The investigation found that Russia imported sights amounting to 16 billion rubles ($174 million) in 2022 and 2023.
One of the main online sellers, Pointer from St. Petersburg, purchased 50,000 sights from Holosun for 3 billion rubles ($32.5 million). Another online store, Navigator, imported sights worth approximately 400 million rubles ($4.3 million), including over 2,000 products from Holosun.
The products are then purchased by arms companies, including Tehnologiya, which was associated with former Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The company brought optics, rangefinders, glasses, and other equipment for 140 million rubles ($1.5 million) from Navigator.
According to Important Stories, the Western manufacturers likely don’t know where their products end up. Pointer uses intermediaries in China, while Navigator has middlemen in Turkey and Kazakhstan.
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Monday, October 19
(Updated: )
Several explosions rocked the capital just before 11 p.m., with further attacks around 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) said damage was reported in at least three districts.
The two sides are discussing a local ceasefire to allow residents to be evacuated directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory, Lubinets said on Oct. 18.
More than 1 million square meters of real estate, particularly warehouse and logistics facilities, have been destroyed or significantly damaged this year, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi in an interview with BBC Ukraine.
Among the children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory is 9-year-old Stefan, who was forced to undergo military training at a school under Russian occupation, according to Bring Kids Back UA.
Temporary Protection Status was granted to Ukraine’s citizens on March 3, 2022, just over a week after Russia begun its full-scale war against Ukraine.
The operation involved Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and 10th Army Corps, along with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defense.
(Updated: )
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces targeted energy facilities in 11 oblasts across Ukraine.
In the Oct. 19 attack on Kyiv, at least one person was killed, and eight others were injured as Russian missiles struck Kyiv in multiple waves overnight.
Tetiana Montian, a Ukrainian-born blogger, has supported Russia's aggression against Ukraine but at the same time accused the Russian authorities of incompetence and corruption.
The overnight assault also damaged a data center in Kyiv and infrastructure in Volyn Region, where around 66,000 electricity metering points were left without power, regional officials said.
"A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia could help end the war sooner," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. "A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the U.S. would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war."
The number includes 2,100 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
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