The 2 leaders took turns driving the armoured limousine throughout Putin’s pomp-filled go to.

Seoul:

Laughing and joking, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong-un cruised round Pyongyang final week in a Russian-made Aurus limousine to showcase their strengthened anti-Western alliance.

The luxurious sedan was supposed to epitomize Russia’s home prowess and diminished dependence on imported know-how and items when unveiled in 2018.

However customs information present that the corporate that builds it makes use of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in imported elements, many arriving in Russia from what Kim has described as his nation’s “major foe”, South Korea.

The imports level to Russia’s ongoing reliance on Western know-how because it seeks to navigate Western makes an attempt to chop it off from international provide chains as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine.

The 2 leaders took turns driving the armoured limousine throughout Putin’s pomp-filled go to, his first in practically 1 / 4 of a century to North Korea, in an indication of the 2 nuclear powers’ more and more shut ties.

Russia imported tools and parts value no less than $34 million between 2018 and 2023 for assembling Aurus vehicles and bikes, customs information seen by Reuters confirmed. Reuters doesn’t have entry to more moderen knowledge.

The imports included automobile physique elements, sensors, programmable controllers, switches, welding tools and different parts value virtually $15.5 million imported from South Korea. Elements have been additionally imported from China, India, Turkey, Italy and different EU nations.

International provides for Aurus saved coming after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with items value virtually $16 million, together with $5 million produced in South Korea, imported since February 2022, the information confirmed.

Reuters couldn’t decide particularly which imported overseas elements ended up within the automobile gifted to Kim, and the imports weren’t in breach of sanctions – Aurus LLC was sanctioned by the US in February, 2024.

The Aurus sedan was developed by Russian state-owned analysis institute NAMI in partnership with Russian carmaker Sollers, which has since bought its stake.

Aurus Motors and its CEO Andrey Pankov didn’t reply to Reuters’ requests for touch upon using overseas elements, together with from South Korea, in its autos.

GROWING PRODUCTION

The corporate launched official manufacturing in Russia’s Tatarstan area, round 1,000 km (620 miles) from Moscow, in 2021 – earlier than then it was made on a small, experimental scale at NAMI. It would begin extra manufacturing in St Petersburg later this 12 months at Toyota’s former manufacturing unit.

Toyota is certainly one of many overseas carmakers to exit the Russian market because the invasion, which Russia calls a “particular navy operation”.

The exodus has left a spot that Chinese language producers have been fast to fill, quickly seizing greater than half the market share and exposing Russia’s restricted home manufacturing capability.

South Korean companies have been among the many largest suppliers to Aurus, together with industrial tools producer Kyungki Industrial Co, automobile physique elements producer BYT CO LTD and batteries provider Enertech Worldwide Inc.

Italian plastic elements producer Industrie Ilpea Spa and Hong Kong firm Rain Electronics additionally equipped items.

Kyungki Industrial Co mentioned in a press release to Reuters on Monday that it had not signed any contract with Aurus or Russian suppliers since 2021 or participated in any additional tasks in Russia since 2022. It additionally mentioned that it will be involved about any potential sanctions.

An organization consultant had earlier instructed Reuters the corporate continued to produce Aurus and was not involved about potential sanctions. The consultant later referred Reuters to Monday’s assertion.

Rain Electronics couldn’t be reached for remark. When a Reuters correspondent visited the handle listed on the web as the corporate’s workplace in Hong Kong, there was no hint of Rain Electronics on the ground listed on-line or within the workplace constructing.

BYT CO LTD, Enertech Worldwide and Industrie Ilpea Spa didn’t reply to Reuters’ requests for remark.

The Aurus Senat, retro-styled after the Soviet-era ZIL limousine, is Russia’s official presidential automobile and was utilized by Putin at his presidential inaugurations in 2018 and 2024.

Putin has now given Kim, believed to be a eager car fan, two Aurus vehicles, first throughout Kim’s go to to Russia in February, and a barely completely different mannequin in North Korea in June.

Costs for Aurus vehicles – there are 4 fashions together with an SUV and armoured model – begin from 46.625 million roubles ($528,356). Clients embrace Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdymukhamedov.

Aurus bought 107 vehicles in Russia in 2023, in accordance with knowledge from Russian analytical company Autostat. Aurus doesn’t disclose manufacturing numbers.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)