Western-made components used in weapons involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine and war crimes are still supplied to the aggressor country months after the full-scale invasion.
This finding was disclosed in the report by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO, part of Transparency International).
Thus, Russia kept obtaining western-made dual-use components, even in late 2022.
Customs data revealed that three western technology companies had continued to export thousands of components worth millions of dollars to Russia as recently as in November 2022. Two of them produce dual-use components sought by Russia to manufacture and repair its military equipment, and the other one makes a variety of a specific component needed by the Russian military for navigation and targeting.
Trade data shows that components manufactured by Harting, Trimble, and TE Connectivity continue to be imported by Russia, either through official distributors for the companies, or third countries such as Hong Kong and Turkey.
The report concludes that key Russian weapons and weapon systems used to carry out suspected war crimes, such as hitting residential houses, civil infrastructure, and power plants, rely, to varying degrees, upon western-made components.
At the same time, existing sanctions, regulations, and enforcements aiming to cut Russia’s access to western dual-use technology are not sufficient, as evidenced by the fact that exports to Russia from companies making components sought by the Kremlin continue.
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