2/3 of foreign parts in Russian drones made in China

The Yermak-McFaul International Expert Group has found that China is the main supplier of critical components for Russian drones. The group proposes to tighten control over foreign components used by Russia in its UAVs.

Source: Office of the President of Ukraine

Details: The Russian army most frequently uses three models of drones: Shahed-136/131, Lantset and Orlan-10. Russia still relies heavily on foreign-made components, particularly microelectronics, to manufacture its drones.

174 foreign components removed from three models of UAVs used by Russian troops on the battlefield in Ukraine were examined by a group on sanctions against Russia, headed by the Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Michael McFaul, Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI).

According to the group's research, China is the main supplier of critical components for Russian drones, accounting for 67% of shipments, with 17% of them going through Hong Kong. Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates account for 5% and 2% of components, respectively. Components, including CPUs, chips, transistors, and other critical ones, made in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and other countries, were also found in the drones.

The International Expert Group's report says many parts are available through publicly accessible platforms, making regulatory oversight difficult.

In view of this, the group's experts called on manufacturers to do more to prevent Russia from accessing their products bypassing economic sanctions.

Ukraine proposes to harmonise sanctions lists between partner countries, unify lists of dual-use goods based on harmonised system codes, and expand the categories of goods subject to sanctions based on harmonised system codes.

The Office of the President believes that companies should develop clearer guidelines for compliance, and governments should investigate the activities of known companies that do not comply with the sanctions policy.

It is recommended to strengthen cooperation between producers and authorities in order to improve compliance with sanctions and implement effective restrictive measures.

Experts believe that the use of anti-money laundering (AML) mechanisms can strengthen export control measures, as sanctions circumvention often has similarities with money laundering. This can help identify structures in third countries that are important for the production and export of military products to Russia, especially if the production takes place outside the sanctioned coalition.

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