The Guardian: European components found in Iranian-made drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine
European components have been found in Iranian-made drones used by the Russian military to attack Ukraine, reports The Guardian, referencing a secret document that Kyiv provided the G7 in August.
The document mentions that Ukrainian cities had been attacked over 600 times in the past three months by drones made with European components. The Shahed-131 drone contained 52 components made by western companies, while the Shahed-136 drone contained 57.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, among the manufacturers of the components were:
- German companies Ti Automotive Gmbh and International Rectifier
- Swiss companies STMicroelectronics and U-blox
- Dutch company NXP Semiconductor
The Guardian notes that the document does not contain proposals on how European companies can prevent their products from being used for military purposes. The document says “Iranian UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] production has adapted and mostly uses available commercial components, the supply of which is poorly or not controlled at all.”
The document’s authors write that the European components arrive in Iran via a third country, such as Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Costa Rica. The companies themselves condemned the use of their products for military purposes, emphasizing that they are taking all necessary measures to ensure that this does not happen.
Since the production of Iranian drones cannot be prevented by export restrictions, the Ukrainian authorities suggested that their Western allies solve this issue by “missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian Federation.” The document continues, reading that “the above may be carried out by the Ukrainian defence forces if partners provide the necessary means of destruction.”
