International Source of Imports: Over 200 Factory-Made Imported Components Found in Russian Kh-101 Missiles
The Russian Kh-101 cruise missile contains over two hundred imported electronic parts, revealing new facts about the Kremlin's dependence on foreign technology. This is confirmed by data released by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which is analyzing samples of debris and the technical composition of Russian weapons used against Ukrainian targets. Deputy Head of the agency Serhiy Naumyuk said during the international conference "Fair Play" dedicated to combating Russian sanctions circumvention schemes that one Kh-101 missile can contain up to 250 imported electronic components, and drones - up to 400. According to Naumyuk, the number of Western microcircuits and components in enemy missiles and drones depends on the model and series of the product. In addition, he noted that last year alone, the SBU recorded the use of 59 foreign components in the trajectory of the missile, which on July 8, 2024 was directed at the children's medical institution in Kyiv - "Okhmatdyt". The main foreign parts include processors, chips, matrices, integrated circuits and transceivers. Particular attention was paid to the Shahed and Geran drones. These devices have an even larger number of Western components installed - up to 400 in each unit. It turns out that the electronics used in Russian military equipment come from more than two dozen countries: in particular, from Austria, Denmark, the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, as well as from Malaysia, Brazil, the UAE and others. According to Naumyuk, foreign microcircuits and components come to Russia through a complex network of intermediaries, since Moscow largely avoids their direct supply. "Russia actively uses the services of companies from China, India, the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Kazakhstan and other countries of the former USSR to avoid the effect of sanctions restrictions and transport technologies illegally," he noted. The SBU is conducting systematic work to identify companies and suppliers that contribute to Russia's military production, and also investigates each missile strike carried out by an aggressor country. As part of this activity, more than 120 thousand criminal proceedings related to attacks on critical infrastructure and civilian objects have been collected. Of these, more than 4 thousand are cases of missile launches, the fragments of which are being examined to determine the country of manufacture and production campaign. "All found components are subjected to careful identification, which allows us not only to record the sources of technologies, but also to use this information to create international pressure and initiate new sanctions against companies that help Russia circumvent the bans," Naumyuk emphasizes. Previously, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that important components of Russian missiles supplied from Europe were discovered, which once again emphasizes the Kremlin's dependence on foreign technologies. It is worth mentioning separately that on June 27, Russian occupation forces used ballistic missiles on the city of Samara (formerly Novomoskovsk) in the Dnipropetrovsk region, continuing this trajectory of regular shelling of Ukrainian territory with heavy weapons, which significantly destroys the country's young and old population.