Canadian intelligence officers held several meetings with executives at the Quebec-based firearms manufacturer Cadex Defence after it emerged that the Russian army had adopted the company’s rifles. In a joint investigation with Global News in October, The Insider reported that Russian Armed Forces snipers were using Cadex rifles.
Cadex President Serge Dextraze told Global News that meetings with representatives of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, focused on Moscow’s efforts to circumvent the arms embargo. Cadex Defence insists it does not supply its products to Russia. Dextraze said intelligence officers provided the company with specific guidelines. He stressed that authorities had no complaints about the company’s operations.
CSIS, in turn, said the intelligence service is working with arms manufacturers and exporters to prevent sanctioned Canadian goods from reaching Russia. “With increased awareness of this illicit activity, Canadian companies are better enabled to proactively vet customers themselves,” a CSIS spokesperson said.
In its annual report published May 1, CSIS stated Russia is trying to “illicitly procure export-controlled and sanctioned technology from the West, including Canada.” Moscow is particularly interested in Canadian microelectronics, satellite communications, and precision firearms, the report said.
As previously reported by The Insider and Global News, Cadex rifles are used by snipers in at least three Russian army units. Indirect evidence suggests the shipments may be routed through the United States and Kazakhstan.
After the investigation was published, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand promised to thoroughly examine how Canadian rifles ended up with Russian snipers. But six months after publication, Global News hasyet to receive a substantive response from authorities. Instead, Canada’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying there had been no “direct-to-Russia exports of arms” from Canada since 2015 and that no components had been supplied since 2020.
The Foreign Ministry reiterated that the Canadian rifles in question could have been supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and could have been captured by Russian troops on the battlefield. However, that version does not explain how Russia is obtaining new barrels in branded cases with intact labels. Similar rifles were displayed at the OrelExpo-2025 arms exhibition in Moscow in early October.
