Russia buys Western ASML equipment to manufacture drones

Since August 2023, one Russian company has declared the import of 16 items of ASML equipment for the production of microchips. Source: Ekonomichna Pravda Details: Despite the sanctions, Russian importing companies continue to declare dozens of items of Dutch ASML equipment that are compatible with machine tool models at Russian companies.

In 2023, the Russian company Krafttek LLC imported ASML equipment worth US£1.8 million. 

It turned out that the equipment was 20-year-old and previously used ASML machinery. Owners of outdated lithography machines from all over the world disassemble them and sell them in parts on marketplaces. Russia buys them back and assembles them as a construction set.

The microchips produced can be used to circumvent sanctions and produce certain types of military equipment.  The Netherlands-based ASML is a world leader in the production of microchip manufacturing equipment. The company's head office told Ekonomichna Pravda that it does not cooperate with Russia and does not sell lithography machines in parts.

The article says that the scheme with the import of ASML industrial equipment is just the tip of the iceberg. Open registers show that there are dozens of importing companies operating in Russia that declare use of Western-made equipment. That includes cables, blocks, motors, sensors, modules, and fuses from leading European manufacturers: Siemens, Radiall and Schneider Electric.

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