Russia’s Newest Drones Are Still Full of Western Tech—Ukraine Just Put the Evidence on Display

Ukraine displayed a captured Russian Geran-2 drone and Western-made components recovered from Russian UAVs at the Warsaw Security Forum, highlighting how foreign technology continues to reach Russia’s weapons industry despite years of sanctions and export controls.

The exhibition was organized by Ukraine’s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, or NAKO, with support from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the organization told UNITED24 Media on October 14.

The display was intended to show that Russia’s dependence on Western technology has not disappeared as its weapons production expands. Experts continue to identify electronics from the US, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Japan, and Taiwan inside Russian drones, including newer jet-powered models that Moscow began deploying on a much larger scale in 2026.

According to NAKO, the components cannot simply be explained as old inventories accumulated before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Investigators are finding relatively recent electronics, indicating that Russia continues to acquire restricted technology through sanctions-evasion networks and third countries.

“Why should Western countries reconsider their approach to sanctions policy? This is a matter of Ukraine’s survival and the security of the entire democratic world. And we want to raise it to the political level,” NAKO Executive Director Olena Tregub said.

NAKO also organized a panel at the Warsaw Security Forum focused on sanctions and export controls. Opening the discussion, former US presidential special envoy Gen. Keith Kellogg said Western technology remains one of the factors sustaining Russia’s war effort.

Every foreign component that reaches a Russian defense factory, he argued, represents a failure somewhere in the supply chain and raises questions about enforcement.

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EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan acknowledged that there is no simple solution.

Russia continues obtaining Western components through third countries that are not required to follow EU sanctions, making cooperation with those governments increasingly important if Europe wants to close the remaining routes into Russia’s defense industry.

Russia’s dependence is also not limited to microelectronics. Its military-industrial complex still relies on imported raw materials, machine tools, and other industrial equipment needed to manufacture advanced weapons.

“Even despite its rich natural resources, Russia still purchases a great deal of raw materials abroad, including rare-earth metals. It also purchases machine tools and other equipment. We have to approach this problem comprehensively,” Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk said.

The Warsaw Security Forum brings together government officials, international institutions, and security experts from roughly 90 countries each year.

Previously, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate revealed new details about Russia’s Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile, identifying 58 Russian companies involved in its production, 22 of which remain outside international sanctions.

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