The Hague exhibition to display Russian missile and Shahed fragments featuring Western microelectronics

On January 15, The Hague will host a conference on sanctions compliance. A highlight of the event will be an exhibition featuring 14 fragments of Russian weapons.

Olena Trehub, Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and member of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated this in a comment to a Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.

According to Olena Trehub, the exhibition will feature 14 exhibits, all provided by colleagues from Ukrainian expert institutions.

"The exhibits include fragments from Russian missiles and Shaheds that attacked various Ukrainian cities. Among them are circuit boards from Kh-101 and Kh-59 missile blocks and UAVs like the Forpost-R and Lancet. The exhibition also features a piece of the optoelectronic station used for observation, detection, and target illumination of the Kh-101 missile, the gyroscope from the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system, and more. All these systems contain microelectronics of Western origin," Trehub says.

Answering the question of what foreign components are constantly found in Russian weapons, she said that almost 64% of foreign components are from the United States.

"Based on our study of foreign parts in Russian fighter jets, we examined 2,000 components from six aircraft used by the Russian Air Force: MiG-31I, Su-27SM3, Su-30SM, Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-57. Most of these are microelectronics, including memory cards, boards, resistors, and transistors. Nearly 64% of the foreign components we found are from the USA, followed by Japan at 16%. Switzerland and Germany account for just over 4% each. The Netherlands, France, and Bulgaria also appear on the list of countries whose components are found in Russian weapons," Trehub said.

The Orlan-10, Korsar, Shahed-136, and Mohajer-6 UAVs were also analyzed. Western microelectronics are also key components in Russian and Iranian weapons. Over 72% of the components in this weaponry were counted as originating from the United States. The list includes microelectronics from Switzerland, Japan, China, Taiwan, and other countries.

Trehub stressed the importance of foreign partners not only knowing but also seeing firsthand that microelectronics from leading EU and US manufacturers are being used as the "brains" and "eyes" of Russian weapons.

"We are convinced that such exhibits are often worth a thousand words. And it is precisely such expositions that help to strengthen control over supply chains to manufacturers and update sanctions lists. This is our contribution to drawing the attention of partner states to this issue. The best solution in the fight against the enemy is to stop Russian weapons at the stage of their manufacture on the assembly line. It is important to deprive the Russians of the opportunity to obtain all microelectronics of Western origin. After all, without it, missiles turn into tin cans that cannot harm anyone," Trehub emphasized.

The exhibition will last in the Netherlands for two days, January 15 and 16, only within the framework of the conference.

For reference:

The Sanctions Compliance Conference is organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with participation from foreign ministers of several EU countries and representatives from the USA, the UK, Canada, and Ukraine.

The event will bring together leading experts, government officials, and private sector representatives to discuss best practices in sanctions compliance, challenges, and innovations in the field of sanctions policy.