Arrest of tech smuggler reveals Western electronics in Russian arms
Sanctions have partially severed Russia from Western electronics. Consequently, the Russian industry must procure various components illicitly, yet Western-manufactured elements remain in Russian weaponry. One of the masterminds behind the operation was arrested in the United States.
The American Department of Justice issued a communiqué regarding the arrest of Denis Postovoi, a Russian resident of Florida. The arrest was due to his organisation of an international network of firms, through which electronic components essential for the production of combat drones were being shipped to Russia.
According to American authorities, Denis Postovoi exported electronics from the United States to destinations such as Hong Kong and Switzerland. In truth, these entities served as intermediaries in the routing of American electronics to Russia.
"The defendant illegally exported dual-use technology to Russia, which could enhance its war capabilities against Ukraine. [Postovoi] misrepresented the final destination of the technology he was dispatching and used intermediate destinations to obscure the unlawful activity," stated an American prosecutor.
American parts in Russian weapons
The arrest of Postovoi clarifies why American components have been repeatedly found in Russian weapons. Parts from the United States have been discovered in, among other things, Iskander-K missiles, and an analysis of Kh-101 cruise missiles revealed that Western (not exclusively American) parts are crucial for their effective operation.
Western components are also utilised in the production of Lancet loitering ammunition, which has targeted, among other assets, Krab self-propelled howitzers supplied to Ukraine. Moreover, 75% of Western parts, the majority of which are American, have been identified in KN-23 ballistic missiles provided to Russia by North Korea.
