LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) — More than 450 foreign-made components have been found in Russian weapons recovered in Ukraine, evidence that Moscow acquired critical technology from companies in the United States, Europe and Asia in the years before the invasion, according to a new report by the Royal United Services Institute defense think tank.
Since the start of the war five months ago, the Ukrainian military has captured or recovered intact or partially damaged Russian weapons from the battlefield. When dismantled, 27 of those weapons and military systems, ranging from cruise missiles to air defense systems, were found to rely mostly on Western components, according to the investigation shared with Reuters.
It is the most detailed published assessment to date of the role played by Western actors in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
About two-thirds of the components were made by US-based companies, RUSI found, based on weapons recovered from Ukraine. Products made by U.S.-based Analog Devices and Texas Instruments TXN.O accounted for nearly a quarter of all Western components in the weapons.
Other components came from companies in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Britain, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
“Russian weapons that are heavily dependent on Western electronics have led to the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians,” Jack Watling, a ground warfare expert at RUSI, told Reuters.
While many of the foreign components are found in everyday household items such as microwave ovens that are not subject to export controls, RUSI said that strengthening export restrictions and enforcement could make it harder for Russia to replenish its weapons arsenal. such as cruise missiles.
In one case, a Russian 9M727 cruise missile, one of the country’s most advanced weapons that can maneuver at low altitude to avoid radar and can hit targets hundreds of miles away, contained 31 foreign components. The parts were made by companies that included U.S.-based Texas Instruments Inc and Advanced Micro Devices IncAMD.O, as well as Cypress Semiconductor, which is now owned by Infineon AGIFXGn.DE, a German company, according to the RUSI investigation.
In another case, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile that has been used to hit Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kiev, also had 31 foreign components with parts made by companies such as U.S.-based Intel CorporationINTC.O and AMD’s Xilinx.
In response to questions about how their chips ended up in Russian weapons, the companies said they comply with trade sanctions and have stopped selling components to Russia.
Analog Devices said the company closed its operations in Russia and instructed distributors to stop shipments to the country.
Texas Instruments said it follows all laws in the countries where it operates and the components found in the Russian weapons were designed for commercial products. Intel said it “does not support or tolerate our products being used to violate human rights.”
Infineon said it was “deeply concerned” if its products were being used for purposes for which they were not designed. AMD said it strictly follows all global export control laws.
Many of the foreign components cost only a few dollars, and Russian companies could buy them before the start of the invasion of Ukraine online through domestic or international distributors because they could be used in civilian applications.
However, more than 80 Western-made microchips have been subject to US export controls since at least 2014, meaning they would need permission to be shipped to Russia, RUSI said. Companies exporting the components had a responsibility to carry out due diligence to ensure they were not sent to the Russian military or for military end use, according to RUSI.
The research findings show how the Russian military continues to rely on foreign microchips for everything from tactical radios to drones and long-range munitions, and that Western governments have been slow to limit Russia’s access to these technologies, particularly after the invasion of President Vladimir Putin in Crimea in 2014.
Russia’s war with Ukraine, which began on February 24, has killed thousands, displaced millions and devastated many cities. Russia’s superior firepower, including the use of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, has helped its forces sweep across eastern Ukraine and seize about a fifth of the country.
Russian troops have fired more than 3,650 missiles and guided rockets in the first five months of the war, according to the National Security and Defense Council Staff. These include the 9M727 and Kh-101 missiles. Russian missiles have been used to strike targets including rail lines to disrupt Western supply lines, military infrastructure and civilian targets such as shopping malls and hospitals. Russia has said it has only fired at military targets. Russian authorities did not provide further comment for this story.
In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced sweeping sanctions to try to weaken the Russian economy and its military. This included banning the sale of many sensitive microchips to Russia. Countries in Europe, as well as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea – all major chip-making countries – have announced similar restrictions. Russia characterizes the conflict as a special military operation aimed at disarming Ukraine. Moscow described the sanctions as a hostile act and denied that they targeted civilians.
Russia is currently working to find new routes to secure access to Western microchips, according to RUSI. Many components are sold through distributors operating in Asia, such as Hong Kong, which acts as a gateway for electronics destined for the Russian military or companies acting on its behalf, RUSI found.
Russia’s government did not respond to a request for comment.
The US government said in March that Russian companies were the first to buy electronics for the Russian military. Russian customs records show that in March last year a company imported $600,000 worth of electronics made by Texas Instruments through a distributor in Hong Kong, RUSI said. Seven months later, the same company imported another $1.1 million worth of microelectronics made by Xilinx, RUSI said.
Texas Instruments and AMD-owned Xilinx did not respond to a request for comment on the customs data.
Russia’s military could be permanently weakened if Western governments tighten export controls, manage to shut down the country’s secret supply networks and prevent sensitive components from being made in pro-Russian states, RUSI said.
