Chinese Armored Car Shows Up on Russian Streets

An armored tactical vehicle reportedly of Chinese make has been spotted on the streets of Moscow as Russia beefs up domestic security.

“Moscow Metro continues to arm itself,” Avtobusy y Vobbechle, a Russian-language Telegram channel, wrote on the social media platform last week.

The Russian capital has been ramping up security measures following protests against President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the March 22 terrorist attack by Islamic State-Khorasan Province that left 145 dead at the Crocus City Hall music venue.

Avtobusy y Vobbechle, which typically covers public transport, wrote that the military-grade car had been purchased by the security department responsible for the Russian capital’s subway system. The post included a photo of a black tactical vehicle emblazoned with the logo of the Russian capital’s subway service.

Tsargrad, a pro-Kremlin media outlet, reported that the all-terrain vehicle is registered as “civilian special equipment” and bears a type of license plate reserved for tractors.

Militarnyi, a Ukrainian media outlet specializing in military news, identified the “anti-terrorism” armored vehicle as the Dongfeng EQ2091XFB.

The vehicle is manufactured by Dongfeng Special Vehicle Co., a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Hubei province. The price point ranges from $130,000 to $270,000, depending on the options.

Militarnyi reported that the unit in the photo is equipped with an armored turret that can accommodate a machine gun. The nine-ton vehicle can withstand fire from an AK-47 assault rifle, Tsargrad reported.

Newsweek contacted Dongfeng Special Vehicle Co. and the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment via email.

The Chinese SUV augments Moscow’s security force fleet following purchases from domestic manufacturers earlier this summer, including Z-STS “Akhmat” and RIDA “Buran” armored vehicles.

In April 2023, the central government granted Moscow the authority over security operations throughout the metro system, in coordination with the national guard—a responsibility that had previously been the purview of the Transportation Ministry.

Since launching its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has deepened cooperation with China on the military and diplomatic fronts.

Moscow’s isolated economy has also come to depend more heavily on trade with Beijing. Chinese automobile exports in particular soared by 593 percent year over year, official customs data showed.

The U.S. and its allies have accused China of exporting dual-use goods and technologies to Russia that benefit the Russian war effort in Ukraine, though China has denied the allegations.

However, Beijing-Moscow trade has grown at a slower pace this year amid the threat of U.S. secondary sanctions, with Russian traders complaining that as many as 98 percent of Chinese banks are now rejecting cross-border transactions in Chinese yuan.