Chinese netizens react in disbelief to a recent claim made by military expert Du Wenlong on Yunnan TV regarding the slaughtering of 180,000 dogs to make dog pelt coats to trade for Russian-made Su-27 fighter jets. The reality is that in the early 1990s, 70% of the costs of the first shipment of Su-27s were paid for using industrial and consumer products under ”Project 906“.

From Sina Weibo:

@凤凰网: Russian Fighter Jets Traded to China for Dog Pelts, China Killed Dogs in 3 Provinces to Meet the Demand — Military expert Senior Colonel Du Wenlong: Back when China was requesting to buy Su-27s, the terms set by the Russians was to trade using 10,000 dog pelt coats. 10,000 dog pelt coats created a lot of pressure/difficulties for us. It takes 18 dogs to make one coat, so that winter we killed all the dogs from the three provinces of Henan, Shandong, etc. in order to trade for Su-27s.

Full statement from the expert:

”Back when we were importing Su-27s, Russia was also having economic difficulties. They only wanted three things: One, flashlights; two, vacuum flasks; three, dog pelt coats. 10,000 dog pelt coats, that created a lot of pressure/difficulties for us. It takes 18 dog pelts to make one dog pelt coat. So that winter we killed all the dogs in the three provinces of Henan, Shandong, etc. in order to trade for Su-27s. So dogs in China had made significant contributions to China’s military and weapons modernization.”

Comments on Sina Weibo:

酒仙迷踪：

So is this the real reason behind the beating of dogs?

成都企业法律顾问：

If this is true, then of the 180k dogs, how many were loyal Hachikos, how many seniors lost their only companions, and how many children lost their childhood friends. To make this kind of deal is no different than trading your soul to the devil, and even the most despicable words cannot describe it. After all, one Su-27 means little to a great nation in comparison.

蹬山队： (responding to 我真不一定是好人)

Before 1994, dog pelt coats were the main exports to Russia, I personally sold over 1,000, but compared to the China National Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import and Export Corporation (CNNPABIEC), I’m nothing. They exported millions of dog pelts to Russia each year, so much that there weren’t enough dogs in the countrysides to kill. Later, the Russians changed their living habits and started to wear sable, so dog pelts lost its market, and people stopped raising those dogs.

海德拉巴的搬运工：

Now we can kill 50 cent dogs, in exchange for jet engines.

Hitting_on：

Poor doggies. Vicious evil humans. Such evil will definitely face retribution [karma].

牛牛很忙虎虎虎：

Such a ridiculous request. Now when we buy Su-35s, are we supposed to send over some excess stock of melamine-tainted cheese?

DJ老重：

After skimming the comments, most of them are jeering~ and I’m too lazy to say much tonight. This isn’t news on military forums. When the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a critical shortage of many commodities, not just dog pelts but also many light industrial products.

Terrific：

Why does this feel like I’m watching a show from Taiwan?

Stevp：

China, you sure are cruel.

BalanceX：

The first batch of Su-27s were traded with material goods. Material commodities made up a significant portion of the payment.

姿势改变命运：

Doggies sacrificed their lives for the nation.

陈大人英明啊：

I personally think we should turn these experts into leather coats…

叫我厂长啊啊啊：

This is quite believable. The civilian goods economy in the Soviet Union was rubbish at the time, and they often traded military hardware for foreign civilian goods.

海柳云烟：

Good thing Tsarist Russia didn’t ask for human pelts.

病入腠理：

Actually, Du Wenlong is really a great speaker. Every time I watch his analysis, I feel as if our Heavenly Kingdom is about to take over the world.

警视听kito：

Yuling Dog Meat Festival can’t be considered a festival anymore. The Su-27’s nickname should be the dog slaughter fighter.

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