Russia attacks Ukraine every day with missiles and drones. It also includes western electronic devices. How can this be – even with sanctions in place?
These are the bombshell inventions that Andriy Rudyk of the Ukrainian Civil Service brought with him. His department analyzes the remains of Russian weapons and, above all, their foreign components. He presents parts of the on-board computer of the Russian KH101 cruise missile that has caused so much death and destruction in Ukraine. Inside are several box-shaped, white voltage transformers. It says “Made in USA” and you can see the TÜV logo. “This internal computer controls the flight of the cruise missile,” Rudick explains. “This makes it a highly accurate weapon.”
According to Rudyk, Russia relies heavily on foreign high-tech components because the country cannot produce them. According to him, more than 70 percent of the components examined are from abroad: for example microchips, processors, cameras, antennas or modern navigation technology. “Everything related to high-precision technology is completely imported,” says an employee of the Ukrainian civil service.
The component was manufactured during the war
It also includes the voltage converter of the on-board computer. It is manufactured by Vigor, an American company based in Massachusetts. According to its website, the company manufactures power modules and complete power distribution systems. The Wikor location in Ismanning, near Munich, is responsible for “Eastern Europe”.
After ARD– According to research, the production date according to the serial number is September 2022 – six months after the start of the Russian invasion. At a time when the US Commerce Department had already imposed strict export restrictions. It apparently lists current transformers as “key items that play an important role in the production of modern Russian precision weapons.”
The manufacturer did not respond to the request
Why did the Russian cruise missile change? How did he get there despite strict export restrictions? How to get TÜV seal on this component? On that day ARDThe company did not comment on the request, including the estimated date and place of manufacture.
Andras Raks, a Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, explains that Russia has a history of defying sanctions dating back to the Soviet era and has kept Western high-tech components as a precaution since its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The country also has a “dense network of networks” and has brought in offshore, letterbox companies and other intermediaries ahead of a full Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kuleba demands significant consequences
According to Russia's expert, the export of permitted goods, often called “dual-use goods” and intended for civilian use, primarily takes place via China, Turkey or third countries such as Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates. .
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls this in an interview ARD-Studio Kyiv significant effects in these countries. In addition, private companies should be aware of the potential damage in Ukraine to products exported to Russia. Above all, he demands stricter export controls. Because, Kuleba says: “Given the mass of elements that end up in Russia and the scale of attacks on Ukraine, export controls are almost like a new type of air defense.”
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