How Chinese, Iranian companies profit in Russia-occupied Ukrainian regions

In November 2023, representatives of two Chinese companies, Zhongxin Heavy Industrial Machinery and Amma Construction Machinery, signed a contract to supply stone-crushing machinery to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, a territory occupied by Russian-backed separatists. This equipment is used for construction projects in occupied areas, including the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, where buildings have been erected over mass graves. Evgeny Solntsev, then 'prime minister' of this entity, expressed confidence in the potential for cooperation with China.