Russian missiles and drones contain components from more than 20 countries - KSRIFE

This was reported by Nataliia Nestor, Deputy Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice, in a commentary to Ukrinform.

"Our experts find foreign components in the missiles used by Russia to attack Ukraine. The missiles and drones used by Russia to attack peaceful cities and towns in Ukraine on a daily basis contain foreign components manufactured in more than 20 countries. These are China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United States, Canada, Iran, etc.", she said.

Nestor also noted that in 2023, experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KSRIFE) of the Ministry of Justice conducted about 30,000 studies related to the facts of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

According to her, KSRIFE experts are investigating almost all types of Russian missiles (Iskander, Kinzhal, Kalibr, Kh-101, Kh-55, Kh-59, etc.) that Russia is launching at Ukraine. In addition, the objects of the study are strike unmanned aerial vehicles such as Shaheed-136, Shaheed-121, as well as reconnaissance drones such as Kartograf, Orlan-10, and Supercam.

"For example, in the Shaheds, these are servos, processors, switches, generators from the United States, contact tips from Iran, spark plugs, indicators from China, electric fuel pumps from Germany and the United Kingdom, seals from Taiwan, Schottky modules from South Korea, etc. In the Kinzhal missile, these are sensors from Spain, buffers, diodes, transceivers, converters from the United States, flash memory from Taiwan, filters from Japan, relays from Germany, converters from Switzerland, etc. This means that all missiles and drones, their main high-tech component, without which they could not exist, are manufactured not in Russia but in other countries. We are talking about components of navigation, control, guidance systems, microcircuits, various chips, sensors, boards, etc.", she said.

Nestor said that most of the electronic components are not exclusively used for weapons. "There are dual-purpose parts that are used in everyday life. In washing machines, computer technology, network communications, etc. Such goods are imported for one use, and eventually become weapons components. Missiles of the same type do not have the same set of components in specific systems. They go with what they have, what they were able to get to Russia," the expert explained.

She also noted that microchips made by the Dutch companies NXP and Nexperia continue to be smuggled into Russia despite the sanctions.

"NXP and Nexperia products were found in Shahed-136, ZALA, PTERO, Eleron-3SV, Kub, Orlan-10, Takhion, Geranium-2, X-101, and Iskander UAVs," she said.

As Ukrinform reported, in 2023, despite the sanctions, Russia was able to import more than USD 1 billion worth of chips for weapons manufacturing. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation has fired more than 8,000 missiles of all types at the territory of Ukraine.