By Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy
I’m writing this emotionally.
Last night, Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Ukraine. Behind every such attack lies not only the Russian military-industrial complex.
These nighttime drones and missiles contain 35,000 foreign-made components. Most of them are dual-use or even purely civilian products, carefully manufactured in factories around the world — including Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Intel, AMD, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, NXP, Murata, Bosch, Toshiba, Raspberry, Chinese companies, and others. These components are then creatively procured through networks of intermediaries and eventually end up in Russian military factories.
That is why it is always surprising when certain manufacturers and governments still do not respond decisively enough. We are providing all the necessary information. If tens of thousands of your components are regularly found in Russian missiles and drones, that is already sufficient reason to review control systems, distribution channels, and risk management practices regarding customers.
Yes, we also see positive results from sanctions and export controls: Russia can no longer obtain many components. But it is still not enough.
As long as Russia’s defense industry is able to source thousands of critical components from abroad, it will continue to produce missiles and drones that fly every night toward Ukrainian cities — and beyond.
