Western components for weapons are supplied to the Russian Federation even after a full-scale invasion – report
Western-made components in the weapons used by Russia in its war against Ukraine and to commit war crimes are delivered to the aggressor country within months of a full-scale invasion.
This is stated in the report of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO, an organization within Transparency International).
Thus, Western dual-use components continued to arrive in Russia at the end of 2022. In particular, Western components have been and continue to be used in weapons involved in Russia’s alleged war crimes.
Customs data showed that three Western technology companies continued to export thousands of components worth millions of dollars to Russia in November 2022. Two of them produce dual-use components that Russia seeks to manufacture and repair its military equipment, and one makes a type of specific component needed by the Russian military for navigation and targeting.
Trade data suggests that components manufactured by Harting, Trimble and TE Connectivity continue to be imported into Russia through official distributors or through third countriessuch as Hong Kong and Turkey.
According to the report’s conclusions, four key Russian weapons systems used to commit alleged war crimes, such as strikes on residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and power plants, depend to varying degrees on Western-made components.
At the same time, the existing sanctions, rules and their enforcement, aimed at limiting Russia’s access to Western dual-use technologies, insufficientas evidenced by the fact that exports to Russia by companies that produce such components that the Kremlin needs continue.
The authors of the report believe that policymakers and businesses need to recognize and publicly acknowledge the existence of the problem, review existing sanctions and export control measures, and improve end-user tracking.
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