Despite sanctions, at least 722 Ukrainian civilians have been killed by Russian weapons containing Western parts, mainly thanks to a vast network of third-party suppliers and intermediaries who keep microchips and other prohibited components flowing into Russia almost daily, an investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe found.
Those intermediaries are registered primarily in countries like China, Turkey, the UAE, and Hong Kong. In some cases, Russian nationals set up companies in these countries specifically to circumvent Western restrictions aimed at cutting off Moscow’s access to critical Western technologies.Â
The sanctions were designed to deprive Russia of advanced components essential for its precision-guided missiles and drones, weakening its military capabilities and limiting its strategic ambitions.
Three years later, those measures have largely failed.
Almost all Russian high-precision weapons used in attacks against Ukraine rely heavily on Western-made components, particularly microchips from American companies. Ukrainian intelligence discovered foreign parts in 95 percent of Russian missiles and drones, with 72 percent of those parts sourced from U.S. manufacturers.
The true number of victims killed by these weapons could be higher than 722 as the analysis only counted confirmed strikes where Ukrainian intelligence had previously documented Western components in the weapon systems used.
The July 8, 2024, Russian missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, which killed and wounded civilians including cancer patients undergoing treatment, is one of the most striking examples. According to the Financial Times, the Kh-101 missile that hit the hospital contained at least 16 parts from the U.S. and Switzerland.
An analysis of customs data found that from 2022 to January 2024, more than 200,000 shipments of restricted microelectronics entered Russia. Among the most frequently found components in Russian weapons were microprocessors produced by Texas Instruments, Analog Devices and Maxim Integrated Products—all American companies. These chips appeared in Russian cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones, including the Kh-101, Iskander, Kinzhal, Kalibr and Shahed-136 drones.
Although these companies publicly oppose their products being used for military purposes, they have struggled to fully control their supply chains. In September 2024, executives from AMD, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and Intel testified before the U.S. Senate, acknowledging gaps in their compliance efforts. A Senate report concluded the companies had responded too slowly and often took only minimal action to prevent Russian military access.
Western sanctions have targeted some key Russian and foreign suppliers, but loopholes remain widespread. Of the 100 largest Russian importers of restricted microelectronics, more than half have avoided sanctions entirely, according to the investigation. Even among those already blacklisted, many continued importing Western parts through shell companies or new intermediaries.
The investigation also revealed direct ties between Russian electronics importers and the Russian military-industrial complex. For example, SPS-Group LLC, which purchased Texas Instruments microprocessors, openly serves defense manufacturers producing missile guidance systems. Other companies, such as Onelek LLC and Ural Radio Stations, proudly advertise their work fulfilling Russian state defense contracts.
Even in countries bound by Western sanctions, some companies have quietly supplied restricted goods. For example, Aerospace Components, a Hungarian firm, shipped microelectronics to Russia. Its founders are Russian businessmen with documented ties to state-owned arms manufacturers.
While sanctions have made it more expensive and complex for Russia to acquire Western technology, they have not stopped the flow. Researchers at the Kyiv School of Economics warn that without stricter enforcement, real-time customs data sharing, and more aggressive secondary sanctions targeting intermediaries, the Russian military will continue to access the components it needs.
As the war drags on and diplomatic shifts—particularly under Donald Trump’s new administration—reshape U.S. policy, experts warn that the failure to close these loopholes leaves Ukraine’s civilian population exposed to continued deadly strikes using Western-built technology.
In a string of shocking developments since Trump took the U.S. presidential office, his administration has taken a strikingly passive stance toward Russia, voting alongside regimes like North Korea, Belarus, and Sudan at the UN General Assembly. It has also repeatedly refused to label Vladimir Putin a dictator, despite his ruthless crackdown on political opposition. At the same time, Trump publicly scolds Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—not for failing to defend his country, but for what Trump calls a lack of enthusiasm for diplomatic talks with Moscow.
