Russia's war efforts boosted by key arms parts made in West

Moscow using alternative supply chains to import commercial products for military use

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The Kh-101 cruise missile that struck a children's hospital in Kyiv in early July perfectly illustrates the ability of the Russian defence industry to overcome Western efforts to cut its supply of key components.

The attack on July 8, which killed two people and damaged large portions of the surrounding buildings of the clinic treating about 600 patients, provoked international outrage.

Yet, "just since the beginning of this week, Russia has used more than 700 guided aerial bombs, more than 170 attack drones of various types and almost 80 missiles against Ukraine", said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Long gone are the days when Western military officials would report that Russian military production capacity was insufficient to sustain the war in Ukraine, or when a Ukrainian official said Russian strikes would soon stop because of a lack of ammunition.

The Financial Times reported, without naming its sources, that Russia is now producing eight times as many Kh-101s as before its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Experts consulted by AFP would not confirm the figures, but all underscored Russia's increased capacity to build more of these crucial cruise missiles.