Russia Uses US Online Store to Source Chips for Weapons Production, Says Bloomberg

Russia, despite sanctions, continues to source US-manufactured technological components critical for the production of its weaponry, according to an investigation by Bloomberg. It currently has access to an extensive supply chain of chips and semiconductors sourced from the online store of Dallas-based semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments (TI).

Russian distributors have been involved in thousands of shipments to the country’s military contractors, several of which are currently under US sanctions.

In one instance, a major Russian distributor handled over 4,000 orders of TI products worth $6 million in the first 8 months of 2024. Of these, nearly $4 million worth of components were delivered to Russian weapons manufacturers.

After the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US and EU imposed export controls on technologies that Russia could use to produce weapons. Many TI components found in Russian weapons–including drones, glide bombs, precision communication systems and Iskander missiles–fall under these restrictions. For example, chips produced by TI have been recovered from Russian Kinzhal missiles and Lancet-3 drones used in Russia’s attacks against Ukraine.

Whereas the direct export of such technologies to Russia is illegal, shipping to other countries remains permissible, creating legal loopholes.

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, addressed the persisting presence of Western parts in Russian weapons.

“If you open up any of these missiles or drones, you’ll see for yourself that they are full of Western components. Companies can say that they’re not selling anything to Russia, that they’re just selling to some intermediaries. But it doesn’t change the fact that those parts are getting into Russia in huge volumes.”