Mikhail Samus, deputy director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies (CIACR), believes that Europe is demonstrating a policy of double standards, continuing to recruit the army of the Russian Federation with modern examples of lethal weapons.

- Back in 2016, CIACR reported on how the Italians, despite the sanctions, continue to supply armies of the Russian Federation with armored vehicles "Iveco LMV". By the way, these cars were used by the Russian military in Syria. The reaction of the official Rome to these transactions, which not only violates the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation, but also the EU basic document on the arms trade - the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Export, is still unknown..

He also cited other facts. Thus, the French company ECA Group supplies Russia with unmanned surface and underwater military vehicles - it is about the most advanced technologies that are now available in the world market of naval equipment: unmanned boats Inspector Mk 2 and combat submarines Seascan Mk 2. In addition, ECA Group commercial director Dominique Malli told the Russian media that the French are beginning to organize the production of these naval drones in the aggressor state itself - Russia.

- I wonder, Mr. Malli reflected that his surface and underwater work in the hands of the Russian military will become a weapon of murder, which will be used in the Black and Azov Seas against Ukraine? And also in the Baltic - where the French Inspector Mk 2 and Seascan Mk 2 will be used against the Navy of NATO countries, - says Mikhail Samus.

He also said that information from Budapest also comes from Budapest that the Hungarian government is still not stopping its military-technical contacts with Moscow.

- In 2016, negotiations were held between Russia and Hungary on the possibility of buying up to 30 Mi-8/17 helicopters worth about $ 490 million to the Hungarian Defense Ministry. As there was no money in the budget of Hungary, the transaction did not take place. However, Budapest agreed on an "economical option" - the repair in Russia of four Mi-17 helicopters. And already in May 2017 Hungarian helicopters returned from the Russian Federation to 59 air base of the Hungarian Air Force in Kecskemet. At the same time, the Hungarian government somehow decided that the repair of military helicopters in Russia is not subject to EU sanctions. Although, under all legal canons for the provision of services for the repair of military equipment is included in the concept of "military-technical cooperation". After all, there is no difference what exactly is carried out within the framework of military-technical cooperation - the sale of weapons, the repair of military equipment or the transfer of military technology - in any case, military-technical cooperation with Russia for EU countries is prohibited, "said Samus.

At the disposal of the expert were data that in June the Ministry of Defense of Hungary had begun preparations for a tender for the repair of MI-24 attack helicopters. On the official page of the "Daily Electronic Tenders" (Tenders Electronic Daily, Annex to the Official Journal of the EU) 29. 06. 2017, the Hungarian Defense Ministry posted a message that it was looking for a contractor to repair and service six Mi-24P helicopters and six Mi-24V helicopters. The term of performance of the contract is four years from the date of signing by the parties of the relevant agreements.

In his opinion, this message is "a pure formality, which is designed to demonstrate the" transparency "of the search procedure for the executor to repair 12 Hungarian Mi-24 helicopters". Because in fact, the terms of the tender are spelled out so that only one company can win them - "Helicopters of Russia".

As we can see, on the way to Europe and in the process of implementing the European integration measures, Ukraine will often face the notion of business interests of certain European countries. In addition, these facts of violation of the conditions of imposing sanctions and some basic ones inside European documents testify to the need to improve the EU legal framework taking into account the realities of the hybrid war that Russia has been conducting against Ukraine for the third year already.

Source: qha. Com. Ua.