Foreign countries|Russian invasion
According to the report, the Russian military could be permanently weakened if Western countries strengthen export controls and manage to close Russia’s secret subcontracting networks.
Russian Hundreds of different components made in Western countries have been found in the weapons used in Ukraine, which are vital for the functionality of Russia’s armaments.
This is evident from a recent report by the British think tank Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). According to it, more than 450 foreign-made component models have been found in Russian weapons. The report is reported by, among others, the news agency Reuters and the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC.
Rusi’s report states that before the war, Russia acquired technology used in weapons from US, European and Asian companies.
The publication is the most detailed assessment to date of the role of foreign-made components in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The report’s findings show that Russia’s military remains dependent on foreign-made microchips. According to the report, Russia’s important artillery and missile systems will not function as intended without technology imported from the West.
According to Rusi, the Russian army can be permanently weakened if Western countries strengthen export controls, manage to close Russia’s secret subcontracting networks and prevent component manufacturing in countries that support Russia.
Five during the war that started a month ago, the Ukrainian army has captured or recovered intact or partially damaged Russian weapons. When disassembling them, it has been found that they are mainly based on western components.
According to Rus, about two-thirds of the components were manufactured by US companies. Components manufactured by the US companies Analog Devices and Texas Instruments accounted for almost a quarter of all found Western components.
The other components came from companies in Japan, South Korea, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, among others.
“Russian weapons dependent on Western electronics have led to the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians,” Rusin’s ground warfare expert Jack Watling told Reuters.
One of the Russian weapons examined in the report is the 9M727 cruise missile. It contained 31 foreign-made components. According to Rusi’s research, the components used in the missile are manufactured by, among others, Texas Instruments and Advanced Micro Devices, as well as Cypress Semiconductor, which is now owned by the German Infineon AG.
Another weapon examined was the Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. It had 31 foreign components, according to the report. Its parts are manufactured by the US company Intel and AMD-owned Xilinx, among others.
Many components cost only a few dollars. Before the start of the war, Russian companies were able to buy them online, for example through Russian or international distributors, because the components can also be used for non-military purposes.
However, more than 80 microchips manufactured in Western countries were subject to US export controls since 2014, meaning that their delivery to Russia would have required a permit, Rusi said in his report.
According to Rus, the export companies would have been obliged to ensure that the parts were not sent to the Russian army or for other military use.
After Russia launched a war of aggression in February, the United States announced extensive new sanctions aimed at weakening Russia’s economy and military. Among other things, the sanctions included a ban on the sale of many microchips.
According to Rus, Russia is currently trying to find new routes to secure access to Western microchips. The United States said in March that Russia uses cover companies for procurement, which buy electronics for the military.
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