Britain still exports arms and military equipment to Russia, according to a parliamentary report released just hours after Prime Minister David Cameron rapped France for selling weapons to Moscow.
Cameron has urged the European Union to ban military sales to Russia - which is accused of equipping and training separatists in eastern Ukraine - and said on Monday that Britain had already halted such arms exports.
The British government promised in March to stop military sales to Russia.
However, the report released on Wednesday says 251 licences remain in place for the sale to Russia of controlled goods worth at least STG132 million ($A240.94 million).
The licences allow exports such as sniper rifles, small arms ammunition, body armour, military communications equipment, night sights and "equipment employing cryptography", the report says.
Just 31 licences have been suspended or revoked.
Cameron has taken a tough stance against Moscow, which has come under fire after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was allegedly shot down by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people.
Russia has already been hit with Western sanctions for its role in a protracted crisis in Ukraine and faces even more over the MH17 disaster.
Both Washington and London have questioned France's decision to maintain a 1.2 billion euro ($A1.8 billion) deal to provide Russia with two warships.
Cameron said it would be "unthinkable" for Britain to supply warships to Russia and said no European country should sell arms to the country.
However, the parliamentary report by the Commons committees on arms export controls appears to contradict government claims.
"Russia is an authoritarian regime. We should have been applying a more cautious approach for some time in regard to Russia," committee chairman John Stanley said.
The committee has also criticised the granting of export licences to Syria for chemicals that could allow it to make chemical weapons.
A government spokesman denied that arms restrictions had been softened.
"The majority of export licences that remain in place for Russia are for commercial use but we are keeping all licences under review," the spokesman said.
Share
