Naval artillery for Vietnam and Russia: The SBU has blocked the arms sales channel from the cruiser “Ukraine” and from units of the Russian Navy.

The naval artillery systems, the removal of which was prevented by the SBU, were intended for Vietnam, which is completing the construction of missile corvettes jointly with the Russians.

As Dumskaya learned, the weapons, worth a total of $1.5 million, were seized at the very beginning of the full-scale war, when chaos reigned in Nikolaev due to the approaching Russians.

The weapons in question are various types used on warships to destroy high-speed targets, particularly drones and cruise missiles. A cunning businessman from Mykolaiv placed them in special containers that looked like water heaters. The businessman planned to transfer the combat systems to his own companies in the European Union and Southeast Asia, from where they were to be shipped to Russia.

According to Dumskaya, the weapons were stolen from Ukrainian Navy units during the first weeks of the full-scale war. Mykolaiv was in chaos at the time due to the rapid Russian advance. Some of the weapons, specifically AO-18 assault rifles, were removed from the unfinished Project 1164 Ukraina missile cruiser. They were stored at the state-owned shipyard, formerly named after the 61 Communards. The shipyard handed them over to the military in 2020.

The SBU discovered weapons and other naval equipment in a warehouse near the Kulbakino military airfield, on the southwestern outskirts of Mykolaiv. The premises belong to the Strategic Research Center LLC, founded by two local businessmen, Serhiy Kozarevich and Andriy Basov.

They planned to ship the goods to Bulgaria. The final recipient was the Vietnamese shipyard Ba Son Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City. This company, together with the Russian shipyard Vympel, is currently completing construction of several Project 1242.1/1241.8 Molniya missile boats (corvettes), which will be armed with AK-176 and AK-630 mounts.

The businessman was detained while preparing to sell weapons. Artillery systems, additional components for military boats, and contracts with foreign companies were found in his warehouses and offices. The businessman was charged under Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 201 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—”preparation for arms smuggling, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons.” The seized weapons were handed over to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Dumskaya’s military observer, Viktor Bosnyak, believes that this story says a lot about the state of the Russian military industry.

“Think about it, to complete two export boats, they orchestrated a complex, multi-step scheme to steal guns from an ancient Soviet cruiser. What does this indicate? That they have problems manufacturing naval artillery. Either they don’t produce it at all, or the quality is so bad that the Vietnamese have dug in their heels and told them to look for Soviet-made ones. In any case, it’s a signal, and an important one at that,” the expert noted.
DEATH TO THE RUSSIAN OCCUPIERS!