Third largest supplier Putin's war machine kills unchecked - with a lot of Swiss technology
Although the export of sensitive technology to Russia is prohibited, components from Swiss companies appear in Russian drones and missiles. An analysis shows how microelectronics find their way into Putin's war machine via third countries.
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- Swiss microelectronics are being found in Russian drones and missiles despite sanctions, as an analysis by the Ukrainian secret service shows.
- Components continue to reach Russia via intermediary countries such as Turkey, Kazakhstan and China.
- The Swiss companies concerned emphasize that they are complying with current sanctions and have stopped trading with Russia.
Russia has been attacking Ukraine for two and a half years. Putin has been firing drones, missiles and glide bombs at the country.
Research by Ukrainian military intelligence, which was analyzed by the Tages-Anzeiger, now shows that many of these weapons contain Swiss microelectronics. Swiss companies are even among the third most important suppliers - behind China and the USA.
The secret service has examined over 5200 components from Russian drones and missiles. 323 of them come from Swiss manufacturers. Products from ST Microelectronics (Geneva), U-Blox (Thalwil ZH) and Traco Power (Baar ZG) appear particularly frequently.
Deliveries to Turkey and Kazakhstan have risen sharply
Switzerland has actually banned the export of sensitive microelectronics to Russia for two years - detours are also prohibited. However, according to the Tages-Anzeiger, the official export data shows a different picture: since the start of the war, Swiss deliveries to countries such as Turkey, China, Serbia and Kazakhstan have risen sharply. At the same time, exports to Russia have fallen to zero.
A look at the UN trade database suggests what happened next: These countries massively increased their further exports to Russia - in some cases by up to 2500 percent. Experts see this as clear evidence of sanctions evasion.
The Swiss manufacturers concerned emphasize to the Tages-Anzeiger that they are complying with all sanctions and have ceased all business activities with Russia.
