Several fairly authoritative resources, and in different countries, have reported that Azerbaijan supplies weapons to Ukraine in transit through Europe and African countries. We contacted the Finnish publication Magneetti, and this resource confirmed that it has such information and even shared evidence.

From the materials presented, it is not entirely clear whether official Baku is involved in the supply chain or not, but there is still a feeling that the weapons are being supplied, at a minimum, with the permission of the Azerbaijani authorities. So, let’s look into the matter…

It’s no secret that the war in Ukraine fuels shady war business around the world. Various arms dealers sell small arms, ammunition and even heavy equipment to Ukraine, which understandably has a shortage of equipment after the equipment donated by Western countries is sold on. Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock warned NATO countries that weapons sent to Ukraine might end up in the hands of criminals on the global black market. “As soon as the guns fall silent [in Ukraine], illegal weapons start to spread. We can expect a flood of weapons to Europe and beyond,” Stock predicted already in 2022. 

Ukraine’s surprising lack of weapons in places, e.g. by the efforts of individual merchants. They interpret very loosely the requirements according to which military equipment must be used exclusively in the delivery countries and their resale is prohibited. One of such arms dealer is Georgian citizen Davit Chutkerashvili , who runs two companies in Tbilisi: DMTD Holding LLC and MTD Holding LLC . He has supplied weapons to various conflict zones from Afghanistan to Africa for years, and is now responding to market demands with new business plans for Ukraine. Getting rich on other people’s blood apparently doesn’t bother the Georgian. 

Chutkerashvili’s long-term connections with Eastern Europe help him to supply equipment to Ukraine and attract even those parties that would like to distance themselves from the conflict, such as the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan . 

According to investigative journalists, Chutkerashvili has a direct connection to the armed forces of Ukraine and even has his own representative there. The transactions have progressed rapidly: in June 2024, the Ukrainian side, represented by LLC Center for Strategic Programs ASKS, signed an agreement with its partner MTD Holding LLC, the subject of which was the delivery of a batch of weapons, including the new AZ-7.62 assault rifles manufactured in Azerbaijan in 2023-2024 .  

In addition, the contract includes BTR-60 , BTR-70M and BRDM-2 APC (armoured personnel carrier) the acquisition of which Chutkerashvili negotiated with the government authorities in Baku in November 2023. 

In addition to this transaction, investigative reporters found out that Azerbaijan sent an unknown foreign customer a proposal to supply such vehicles. According to Georgian sources, the vehicles are already ready to be transferred to the Czech Republic. 

Given that Georgia is balancing the Ukraine case, Chutkerashvili took advantage of his connections with his Czech partners. Chutkerashvili signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Czech company Excalibur International . It has close connections with the Czechoslovak Group (CSG). According to Bloomberg, CSG has earned up to five billion dollars from the repaired T-72 tanks supplied to Ukraine. 

Chutkerashvili plans to implement a new agreement with the Czech Republic. According to a Georgian source, Chutkerashvili is preparing to supply Ukraine with a large batch of obsolete Soviet-made personnel carriers from Azerbaijan. The official buyer is the Czech Republic. But this APC is not in service with Czech armed forced.

According to Ukrainian sources, Chutkerashvili cooperates with two officials of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan. They help buy tanks for Ukraine. They are the former director of the Baku Instrument Factory ( ООО Bakı Cihazqayırma Zavodu ), Rasim Gezalov , and the new director appointed in May 2024, Rasim Tahirov . It should be noted that the factory in question has been owned by the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan since 2006. 

It is, of course, clear that the sale of military products to a dubious contractor takes place behind the back of Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev , as his inner circle hides the matter from him. 

For the Western reader, the conclusion is interesting: Russia has lost its influence over its Transcaucasian partners to the point that it cannot stop arms deliveries even from friendly countries, which of course includes Azerbaijan. 

Chutkerashvili’s letter to the Czech Exalibur International regarding wagon sales. The next appendix below is also related to this entity:

Chutkerashvili’s power of attorney to Ukrainian military trade representative Sergei Kolisnichenko:

List of military equipment for the Ukrainian army:

List of equipment purchased from Azerbaijan:

Contract and related documents:

The territory of the OOO Baki Cihazqayirma Zavodu: