{"id":14690,"date":"2025-07-27T16:55:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T14:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.kse.ua\/news\/disassembling-russia-s-war-machine-new-kse-institute-report-exposes-chokepoints-in-russia-s-military-industrial-logistics\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:45:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:45:48","slug":"disassembling-russia-s-war-machine-new-kse-institute-report-exposes-chokepoints-in-russia-s-military-industrial-logistics","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/kse.ua\/en\/news\/disassembling-russia-s-war-machine-new-kse-institute-report-exposes-chokepoints-in-russia-s-military-industrial-logistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Disassembling Russia\u2019s War Machine: New KSE Institute Report Exposes Chokepoints in Russia\u2019s Military-Industrial Logistics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read the full report<\/a><\/p>\n

KSE Institute has released a new report, Disassembling the Russian War Machine: Logistics, Chokepoints, and Dependencies<\/i><\/b>. The authors examine how the Russian military-industrial complex (MIC), despite its aggressive expansion since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, remains highly dependent on fragile logistics networks, critical imports from China and North Korea, and nominally civilian suppliers. Western policymakers can act now to disrupt this expansion. A narrow sanctions regime that spares civilian intermediaries, logistics firms, and Chinese suppliers effectively enables the Russian war machine. Strategic coordination and targeted pressure on these weak points can erode Russia\u2019s military potential.<\/p>\n

This publication builds on KSE Institute\u2019s previous report, Disassembling the Russian War Machine: Key Players and Nodes<\/i><\/a>, which analyzed the centralization and scaling of Russia\u2019s MIC. The new report focuses on the logistics channels and supply bottlenecks that underpin Russia\u2019s war economy and outlines actionable recommendations for undermining its sustainability.<\/p>\n

Key insights from the report include:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 Depletion of Soviet stockpiles.<\/b> Stockpiles of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery platforms, and other materiel are shrinking. Deliveries from storage bases fell by over 25% in 2024, with irreversible depletion of equipment. Much of what remains is now shipped directly to the front, bypassing larger repair plants.<\/p>\n

\u2022 North Korea is filling the gap.<\/b> Explosives from North Korea made up over half of all known shipments to Russian arsenals in 2024, while Iran likely supplies smaller volumes via the Caspian Sea.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Critical chokepoints remain unsanctioned.<\/b> Single firms dominate the MIC\u2019s supplies of raw materials, reinforced concrete, and explosives\u2014yet are still considered civilian, evading Western sanctions. Targeting the MIC\u2019s suppliers and logistics firms would exploit chokepoints in Russia\u2019s supply chains. Credibly threatening secondary sanctions and halting all scientific and commercial ties with Russia would further weaken the MIC.<\/p>\n

\u2022 China is indispensable. <\/b>Machinery and components from China now dominate the Russian MIC\u2019s imports, with logistics routed through a few large military-affiliated firms and hubs concentrated around Moscow.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Russia is investing heavily in naval capabilities aimed not at Ukraine but at NATO.<\/b> Cargo flows reveal a strategic focus on submarine and Arctic-capable vessel production to assert dominance in the High North.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Lifting sanctions on Russia would be a strategic mistake.<\/b>\u00a0 Lifting sanctions now would strengthen a MIC still constrained by inefficiencies, import reliance, and dwindling reserves, undermining deterrence and enabling future threats.<\/p>\n

Policy recommendations:<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanctions relief to Russia should be out of the question. It would allow its military-industrial complex to reconstitute itself before an eventual confrontation with the West. In order to meaningfully constrain Russia\u2019s capacity for prolonged warfare and future escalation, Western governments must widen the scope of economic pressure<\/b> and close loopholes that sustain the MIC. This should entail sanctioning both the civilian entities supplying the MIC, as well as the logistics firms that serve as a bridge between Chinese manufacturers and the Russian MIC. The threat of secondary sanctions<\/b> should be used to communicate clearly to Chinese firms and banks that facilitating machinery and component transfers to Russia\u2019s MIC, directly or via intermediaries, is unacceptable. Finally, the West must monitor and pursue ways to disrupt the military and technological cooperation between Russia, North Korea, and Iran.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read the full reportKSE Institute has released a new report, Disassembling the Russian War Machine: Logistics, Chokepoints, and Dependencies. The authors examine how the Russian military-industrial complex (MIC), despite its aggressive expansion since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, remains highly dependent on fragile logistics networks, critical imports from China and North Korea, and nominally civilian\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[244],"tags":[],"department":[],"news_type":[224],"project":[],"region":[108],"unit":[223],"class_list":["post-14690","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-defence-en","news_type-research","region-russia","unit-institute-en"],"acf":{"primary_unit":223,"news_intro":"","header_cta_mode":"event","header_event_cta_text":"\u0414\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0456\u0457","header_event_cta_url":"","header_research_cta_text":"\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0438 \u0432\u0441\u0435 \u0434\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0456\u0434\u0436\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044f","header_research_pdf":null,"author_person":"","author_name":"","related_news":null,"related_events":[],"related_people":[],"related_links":null,"external_link":"","external_link_label":"","is_featured":false,"is_featured_archive":false,"quote_text":"","quote_author":"","quote_author_role":"","program_title":"\u0424\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0430\u0442 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0433\u0440\u0430\u043c\u0438","program_items":null,"reference_title":"\u0414\u043e\u0432\u0456\u0434\u043a\u0430","reference_content":"","source_system":"migration","source_id":"64451","content_owner":"kse","last_reviewed":null,"visibility":"public","platform_id":"","platform_version":"","platform_managed":false},"yoast_head":"\nDisassembling Russia\u2019s War Machine: New KSE Institute Report Exposes Chokepoints in Russia\u2019s Military-Industrial Logistics - KSE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kse.ua\/en\/news\/disassembling-russia-s-war-machine-new-kse-institute-report-exposes-chokepoints-in-russia-s-military-industrial-logistics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Disassembling Russia\u2019s War Machine: New KSE Institute Report Exposes Chokepoints in Russia\u2019s Military-Industrial Logistics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read the full reportKSE Institute has released a new report, Disassembling the Russian War Machine: Logistics, Chokepoints, and Dependencies. 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