Russia is increasingly relying on non-Western components in its weapons, with new Iranian-designed Shahed drones now featuring far fewer American parts and, for the first time, a component manufactured in India, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on April 7.
HUR published data on nearly 200 new components and parts used across six types of Russian weaponry, including drones and missiles.
Among the items examined were a CRP antenna from a Shahed drone, North Korea’s KN-24 ballistic missile, a computer module from Russia’s Kh-47 Kinzhal missile, and three drones: the Supercam S350, Geran (Shahed), and ZALA models. Ukrainian analysts found that updated CRP antennas used in the Geran-2 drone now contain only two U.S.-made chips.
“This shows Russia is actively working to reduce its dependence on components from countries that have imposed sanctions,” Ukrainian intelligence said in a statement.
In the latest versions of Shahed drones used in Russian attacks on Ukraine in 2025, HUR identified new jamming-resistant antennas labeled in Chinese. Of the 15 components in one such antenna, only two were made by U.S. firms — Texas Instruments and Linear Technologies.
The majority of remaining parts — including transceivers, signal converters, generators, and microchips — were of Chinese origin.
“For the first time, we’ve found a component of Indian origin in Russian weaponry — a clock buffer from Aura Semiconductor,” the agency said.
HUR added that two additional components are still being analyzed but are likely also Chinese-made.
How Russia Gets Foreign Components Despite Sanctions
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned in October that nearly every Russian missile or drone recovered on the battlefield contains Western-made parts.
“Everyone’s turning a blind eye to what’s happening,” Budanov said.
On Sept. 10, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said China was providing Russia with “very substantial”assistance to bolster its military-industrial base. In return, Moscow has reportedly shared sensitive missile and submarine technologies. Two weeks later, Ukrainian presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk confirmed that the majority of foreign-made components found in Russian weapons originated in China.
On Oct. 7, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said Russia was still acquiring advanced Western-made components used in electronic warfare systems, despite sweeping international sanctions. By mid-October, Bloomberg reported that India had rapidly increased its trade with Russia and had become the Kremlin’s second-largest supplier of critical military technologies.
That same month, Russian investigative outlet Important Stories revealed that Russia was importing billions of dollars’ worth of sanctioned goods — including for military use — from the European Union through a false transit scheme.
In November, journalists from Czech outlet ČT24 reported that military-relevant goods were still being funneled into Russia from the Czech Republic via third countries like Türkiye and Kazakhstan.
In April 2025, the United States imposed new sanctions targeting two individuals and six companies in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and China for supplying components used in Iranian-made drones.
Source: The New Voice of Ukraine