Western companies help Russian military machine, 3,638 components were found in 134 separate weapons

Russia continues to manufacture missiles and drones on a large scale using Western components . Despite numerous export controls, Western companies still bear much of the responsibility for providing Russia with access to these important components. To make export controls effective, there must be accountability, writes the Financial Times.
It is noted that more than 50 countries have imposed sanctions against Russia. They provide for export controls. This has increased production costs for the Russian military and stopped their supply chains. However, the flow of distribution networks helps the Russian Federation bypass the restrictions.
To make export controls effective, journalists say, corporate enforcement — the government's euphemism for punitive measures against our own corporations — is needed, supplemented by secondary sanctions and a significant increase in funding for regulators.
The Russian military-industrial complex relies on Western-made components. In 2023, Ukrainian authorities launched a unique resource that provided unprecedented information about the Russian army: "Components in the Aggressor's Weapons", and soon "Weapons of War".
Authorities have identified 3,638 components in 134 separate weapons. For example, the Shahed-238 UAV has electronic components from Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States. These findings support Russia’s own research that its military relies 70-90% on Western-made components.
In its recent attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, Russia has used new types of weapons, including the Kh-69 and Zircon missiles. This demonstrates that the country is capable of introducing innovations in weapons that require even more sophisticated Western components. Russia is still able to adapt, but it is doing so with the help of the West, the article says.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, coalition countries have increased the coherence of their export control regimes and stepped up enforcement. Recent U.S. efforts to involve financial institutions in disrupting distribution networks are already having an effect, the reporters say. Chinese banks are increasingly scrutinizing or refusing to do business with Russia: “But no systemically important institution has yet faced U.S. sanctions. To be effective, the U.S. must use its powerful tools as well as threaten. And while engaging financial institutions is valuable, successful implementation requires the participation of corporations themselves,” the authors write.
They add that investigative journalists, think tanks and human rights groups have provided compelling evidence of how Western components end up in Russia. The problem is clear to everyone except the corporations themselves. In response, most companies hide behind boilerplate legal language.

Tags: #Ukriane, #Russia, #Putin, #Putler, #Russian invasion of Ukraine, #Zelenski, #Kiev, #Kyiv, #Kadirov army, #Kadirov, #Kherson, #Bucha, #Kharkiv, #Ukrainian pilots, #vagners, #Russian tanks, #NATO, #drones, #Moscow, #Kreml, #war victims #Ukraina, News, The Washington Post, waPo Video, Washington Post Video, Washington Post YouTube, a:politics, aid, biden, putin, s:Politics, support, t:Other, Ukraine, war, fact check, news coverage, Donald Trump, news, wp video, forbes, nytimes, newspaper, media, journalism, Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Tel-Aviv, Garabag, Karabakh, football, ronaldo, messi, brian tyler cohen