Iran, Vietnam, North Korea, and China remain key partners of the Russian Federation in attempts to circumvent international sanctions and continue aggression against Ukraine. Each of these countries provides assistance to Russia in various areas—from energy to military support.
This is reported by Business • Media
Iranian Turbines Instead of European Equipment
The Iranian company MAPNA recently made its first delivery of the advanced gas turbine MGT-70 to Russia as part of agreements made back in 2022. Russia ordered a total of 40 such units, which are intended to replace equipment from the German company Siemens. After the onset of the full-scale war, Siemens halted the supply and servicing of its turbines for Russia. In response, the Russian side is trying to establish its own production of similar units, but is currently relying on Iranian imports. Gas turbine installations are a crucial component of power plants and provide the production of both electricity and thermal energy in the form of steam, enhancing the overall energy efficiency of the Russian energy sector.
Schemes with Vietnam, Military Cooperation with North Korea, and Secret Shipments from China
To circumvent financial restrictions, Russia, together with Vietnam, has implemented a so-called “backdoor” payment scheme for arms supplies, allowing them to avoid sanctions and make payments without the involvement of international financial systems. This scheme helps the Russian Federation legally obtain military products and settle payments discreetly from the global community.
At the same time, North Korea has provided military assistance to Russia worth approximately $10 billion, but in return received only about $1.2 billion in compensation, mainly in the form of food and fuel aid, as well as “a small number of air defense systems, GPS jammers, and possibly fighter jets.” This indicates an “unequal partnership” between these countries despite the strengthening of military cooperation. According to estimates from the Korean Institute for Defense Studies, the volume of assistance from North Korea could have reached even $20 billion.
“At the same time, Russia is in no hurry to settle its debts with North Korea for the military assistance provided. It is reported that North Korea has provided military support to Russia worth about $10 billion. However, in return, it received relatively small compensation—at most $1.2 billion, which mostly includes food and fuel aid, as well as ‘a small number of air defense systems, GPS jammers, and possibly fighter jets.’ This indicates an ‘unequal partnership’ between the countries, although their military cooperation has intensified.”
China also remains an important economic partner for Russia. In recent months, the cargo ship Heng Yang 9 has secretly entered occupied Sevastopol in Crimea three times. The Ukrainian side has sent an official protest to China and warned of possible sanctions. The arrival of the ship coincided with the opening of a new railway line that allows containers to be transported from Russia to the ports of Crimea. Ukrainian officials are confident that this is how Russia is exporting products from the occupied territories of Donetsk and Kherson regions.
Additionally, in August 2025, 43.6% of maritime shipments of Russian oil (9.7 million tons out of a total of 22.2 million tons) were carried out by 83 sanctioned tankers, indicating the scale of the use of the sanctioned fleet to bypass international restrictions.