Vietnam Buys 40 Russian Su-35 Fighters in Covert $8 Billion Weapons Pact—With Oil Payments to Dodge Sanctions

In mid-2025, military sources in Vietnam began circulating unconfirmed rumors that new multi-billion-dollar contracts with Russia were imminent.

Documents from Rostec identify Vietnam under the discreet label “Customer 704.” According to the sources and those documents, one deal could be worth ~$8 billion and include up to 40 new fighter jets.