Russia somehow got its hands on Ram 1500 trucks despite facing strict sanctions. The trucks are being used to launch kamikaze drones. They have been modified to ensure proper drone takeoffs with explosives. 

Russia is using Ram 1500 trucks to launch kamikaze drones 

Someone has some explaining to do, as Russia somehow got 130 Ram 1500 trucks. There are sanctions in place that prohibit the sale of United States vehicles to Russia. 

This doesn’t look good for Stellantis as the Ram trucks are being used to fire kamikaze drones at Ukrainian cities. Allegedly, the trucks appeared in Russian propaganda videos. 

They made it to Russia’s largest, ‘secret’ drone factory. Then they were modified to successfully launch the drones. This isn’t a common tactic for launching Geran-2 drones. The most common method involves using stationary catapults. 

According to Liga, Stellantis denies selling the pickup trucks to Russia. In 2022, Stellantis stopped all vehicle sales in Russia and stopped manufacturing operations in the country. But what if the trucks are from before 2022? The Ram 1500 hasn’t had significant style changes since 2019.

Stellantis didn’t comment on unauthorized or uncontrolled resales carried out by third parties. Some vehicles might be getting smuggled in. 

The only way an exporting company could legally sell U.S.-made vehicles to Russia would be if it obtained a special license to do so. But applications for this license are regularly denied. 

However, Arivir Corp, a Virginia-based company, allegedly sold eight black and grey Ram 1500 TRX models produced in 2023 to a Russian firm, known as Arivir Rus. They were shipped in early 2024. 

Arivir Rus requests vehicles from Arivir Crop, then they are purchased from a dealership and resold to Arivir Rus. This could be just the tip of the iceberg as investigators find more American companies sending vehicles to Russia.