The USA continues to work on limiting the Russian Federation’s access to purchase microelectronics – NYT
19 April, 2023 The electronic unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle used by Russia against Ukraine. Photo credits: STR/NurPhoto, via Getty Images Western technology is still finding its way into Russia.
This raises doubts about the effectiveness of the sanctions. Therefore, the relevant institutions in the US and Europe are working out additional possibilities for restrictions. The New York Times reported on this.
It is noted that last month, the US and EU officials traded information on what technology Russia could be purchasing. This regards millions of dollars worth of technology. Currently, there is a surge in chips and other electronic components being sold to Russia through Armenia, Kazakhstan, and other countries, according to documents obtained by journalists.
A close-up photo shows Cypress Semiconductor chips in the on-board computer of a Russian 9M727 missile that the Ukrainian military assembled on the battlefield and presented to Reuters by a senior SSU official in Kyiv, July 19, 2022.
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
They shared information on the flow of eight particularly sensitive categories of chips and other electronic devices that have been deemed critical to the development of weapons, including Russian cruise missiles. This list also includes a component called a "field programmable gate array", which had been discovered in one of Russia's Kh-101 cruise missiles. Direct sales of chips to Russia from the United States and its allies have plummeted to zero.
U.S. officials say Russia has already blown through much of its supply of its most accurate weapons and has been forced to substitute lower-quality or counterfeit parts that make its weaponry less accurate.
Downed Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. Photo from open sources.
However, other countries provide the required supplies to the Russian Federation. After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia's chip imports crept back up, particularly from China.
Imports between October and January were 50 percent or more of median prewar levels each month. It is emphasized that the supply chain is very large and complex, and it is, therefore, almost impossible to track it. As Russia tried to get around restrictions, U.S. officials have steadily ratcheted up their rules, including adding sanctions on dozens of companies and organizations in Russia, Iran, China, Canada, and elsewhere.
The microchip of the American company Xilinx in the Russian R-168-5UT-2 radio station, captured in Ukraine. April 2022. Photo credits: Militarnyi
The United States has also expanded its trade restrictions to include toasters, hair dryers, and microwaves, all of which contain chips.
But the illicit trade in chips is proving hard to police, given the ubiquity of semiconductors. In 2021, companies shipped 1.15 trillion chips to customers globally, adding to a huge worldwide stockpile. China, which is not part of the sanctions regime, is pumping out increasingly sophisticated chips.
The first known example of Russia making weapons with chips manufactured after the start of the invasion of Ukraine was discovered. Three identical chips produced by a U.S. company in an offshore factory were found in Lancet drones.