Burmese generals send weapons 'back' to Moscow

The Russian military has demanded the return of part of the river of war material supplied to Myanmar in recent years, now needed for the "victory" in Ukraine. Supplies to which Naypyidaw also added locally made mines and mortar shells, which appeared in some videos released by the Russians.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In the war against Ukraine, Russia redefines the alignments of the world order, and joins forces with the most available allies, not only with words, but also with deeds.

The "brother countries" of Putin's Russia are also those most marginalized by the international community, and share with Moscow the resentment caused by sanctions and condemnations for unacceptable actions on a global level.

Thus Iran supplies the Russians with assault drones, North Korea supplies missiles and ammunition, and even countries less capable of supporting military plans, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua, offer full solidarity and actively participate to the Kremlin's attempt to justify assaults and invasions as "defense from Western aggression".

Myanmar also fully falls into this group with its military junta, which has made agreements with Moscow to send back part of the military supplies received from the Russians themselves, also adding locally produced mines.

The "friendship of arms" that already existed between Burma and the Soviet Union is renewed, illustrated in a classic Soviet documentary from 1955 which told of Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the then capital Yangon, showing the enthusiasm for the weapons exchanged with Prime Minister U Nu.

The name Myanmar was imposed by the military after the bloody coup d'état of 1988, in which there were harsh repression against the peaceful protests of the population, who were demanding a turn towards democracy.

The Burmese armed forces were well supplied with tanks and armored vehicles, and all types of armament supplied by the Russians. After the end of the USSR, the main military partner became China, which in exchange demanded access to the local market for Chinese companies, in addition to total censorship on any news relating to the personality of the Dalai Lama, which was a great regret for Burmese Buddhists.

The generals of Naypyidaw, where the capital was moved in 2005, were also less than satisfied with the not always excellent quality of Beijing's war supplies, and began to turn to other countries such as Israel, Serbia and India.

He also began his own production of armored vehicles, with the help of specialists from Ukraine, until the historic wartime friendship with Russia was re-established, with the sending of Mig-29 planes and helicopters by the new president Vladimir Putin. Mi-35 and Mi-17.

The junta sent its officers to specialize in Russian military academies, and Russia's arms factories produced increasingly larger supplies for the distant Asian country. Between 2001 and 2021, Myanmar paid Moscow .7 billion for arms contracts, according to official figures.

After the new seizure of power in 2021, the head of the military government Min Aung Hlaing gave one of the first interviews to the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, praising Putin's policies and promising to support the "eternal friendship" of Russians and Burmese.

The leader of the junta has always been a true Russophile, and a few months later he went on a state visit to Moscow, where he was received with great honors by Foreign Minister Lavrov and Defense Minister Shoigu, although not by President Putin, who was not then he could still get on a par with a usurper. Now Putin himself has surpassed Min in negative fame, following his conviction in The Hague as a war criminal.

The two were thus able to meet at the Vladivostok Economic Forum in September 2022, to talk about "democracy", and the Tsar of Moscow assured the Kremlin's support for the Myanmar elections, according to official press releases. In reality, after that meeting the Russians sent more weapons worth 276 million dollars to Naypyidaw, double the amount sent in the same period by China.

Putin probably already then asked the general to be ready to return part of the deliveries, as is happening in recent days also from India, to face the challenge of the military "victory" to be proclaimed together with the electoral triumph. Burmese mortar shells appeared in recent videos, released by the Russians themselves, of attack positions in Ukraine.

Even in Myanmar, after all, there is no shortage of opportunities to fuel civil war clashes, and the Russians are more than ready to return the favors.