Ukraine warns the international community that Russia has drawn up “shopping lists of semiconductors, transformers, connectors, housings, transistors, insulators and other components” from the West that are needed for the war effort. This is reported by the political magazine Politico, citing one of the lists prepared by Kyiv. On it are components, in which priority Russia is striving for it and what prices Moscow expects to pay for it. The content fits what military logistics experts know about the state of Russia’s military, the magazine says, which has not been able to independently confirm the list.
Also wanted German technology
The 25 components most urgently needed by Russia are almost exclusively microchips from the US companies Marvell, Intel, Holt, ISSI, Microchip, Micron, Broadcom and Texas Instruments. A product from the Infineon subsidiary Cypress is also among the parts that Russia, according to Ukraine, is trying to get as a top priority. Below you will also find products from the German companies Harting, Würth Elektronik and also directly Infineon. Moscow therefore expects prices between the equivalent of 7 and over 1100 euros for the cheapest or most expensive components.
The head of the British military think tank Royal United Service Institute (RUSI) told Politico that Russia may have been buying up Western microchips for years, but the reserves now seem to have been exhausted. The Russian procurement program is extensive, well financed and based on an immense industrial base. But so much has been used up in Ukraine that they now need a lot of supplies. Apparently Moscow would have to make a real effort to get it. Countries like Iran, which has years of experience in circumventing far-reaching sanctions, are probably helpful here. Strict sanctions were imposed on Russia after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began, but there are doubts about their effectiveness.
At the beginning of August, based on Russian weapons technology seized in Ukraine, RUSI broke down which components from Western manufacture were used in them. Many components have therefore been subject to export bans against Russia for much longer. Moscow’s military power hangs on a lifeline of silicon that is still alive, the report said. Nevertheless, the consequences of the sanctions were also evident, the Belgian weapons researcher Diederik Cops now assures Politicio. More and more “stupid” Russian bombs are currently being found in Ukraine. Russia is obviously struggling with delivery problems. According to US intelligence services, Russia is now even buying artillery ammunition and missiles from North Korea, reports the New York Times.
