The International Partnership for Human Rights also points out that “components manufactured in Western countries continued to arrive in Russia” after the start of the invasion.
“An uncomfortable truth.” Western components have been identified in Russian weapons used for possible war crimes in Ukraine since the start of the invasion. This is asserted by the report (in English) published tuesday february 28 by a Belgium-based NGO, the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), in collaboration with the Independent Commission against Corruption in Ukraine (Nako).
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The companies that produce these components “must be aware that their negligence results in civilian casualties”, emphasizes to franceinfo Simon Papuashvili, program director within this NGO which documents war crimes committed on Ukrainian territory. The IPHR would like the companies involved “take their due diligence obligations more seriously” And “ensure that controls are in place”.
The authors of the report looked at ten attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. They caused the death of 70 civilians, and the destruction or damage of more than 80 objects, thus constituting war crimes, according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. For the study of each fact, verified and geolocated images were analyzed, which allows observers to share a “high degree of trust” In “the determination of the weapon used”.
American, German and Swiss components
The report presents the case of an attack on civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, August 17, 2022: Iskander missile strikes hit a cultural center, a tram depot and a dormitory for the hearing impaired. Eighteen people, including an 11-year-old child, were killed. Ukrainian emergency services and Kharkiv police discovered remnants of this type of missile at the scene.
It has also been documented for Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region on September 26-27, 2022, and for a strike on residential buildings in central Kramatorsk in early February. “The Iskander has been used for hundreds of strikes on Ukraine since the invasion”, points the report. These missiles include several elements (processors, flash memory, Ethernet cables and microchips) bearing the logos of American, German and Swiss brands, underlines the investigation.
Three other attacks mentioned were carried out with KH-101 missiles: a strike against a power plant in the Kharkiv region in September, another against a residential building in Odessa in April and a firing on Kyiv on October 10. “Components bearing the logo or name of companies based in the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Taiwan were found in the KH-101”, notes the report, citing an early study by the Royal United Services Institute think tank (in English) which confirmed the presence of these components in these missiles.
Kalibr missiles were also used in two attacks constituting war crimes, according to the Ukrainian emergency services: a strike targeting the center of Vinnytsia in July 2022, as well as an attack in Dnipro, two weeks earlier. The report reveals that these missiles also contain parts manufactured in the United States and Switzerland (as well as in Taiwan), particularly in the navigation and guidance systems.
Finally, two other studied offensives were carried out using the Tornado-S multiple rocket launcher 9K515MLRS. One attack targeted a residential area, without causing any casualties, in the Donetsk region, in March 2022. Another killed two people in a residential area in the Dnipro region, in July 2022. Tornado components (in particular in the satellite navigation system) are manufactured by American companies.
Imports continue
The report also claims that “Components made in Western countries continued to arrive in Russia, long after the start of the invasion of Ukraine”. The investigation uses commercial data to show that three Western companies have “[exporté] to Russia thousands of components for a total of several million dollars, as recently as November 2022″.
The German company Harting, for example, produces components used in Iskander missiles. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, its Russian subsidiary, “Harting LLC, imported 2,433 shipments to Russia for a total amount of over $13 million (€12.27 million)”, assure the authors of the report. The last evidence of such deliveries dates back to November 29, 2022. A Lithuania-based supplier is responsible for almost a quarter of these imports.
The commercial data does not specify the nature of the components concerned. However, components, including connectors, made by Harting are cited in a document revealed by Politico (in English). It lists the chips needed to maintain Russian military hardware for its offensive in Ukraine. “Also included on this list are components manufactured by Altera, Cypress Semiconductor, Marvell, Texas Instruments and Analog Devices, companies whose names or logos have been found on components of weapons used in suspected war crimes documented here.”detail the IPHR and the Nako.
“Electronic components” targeted by Brussels
Another company with offices in Switzerland and the United States, TE Connectivity, is mentioned in this Russian list revealed by Politico. At this stage, “we have evidence that a TE Connectivity component is used in Russian military equipment, not a missile”explains researcher Viktoriia Vyshnivska, co-author of the report, to franceinfo. “That doesn’t mean they aren’t used in missiles”, but research does not allow us to confirm this at this stage. IPHR and Nako also note that TE Connectivity has been the source of 479 imports into Russia since the start of the war, for a total value estimated at 1.8 million dollars (1.7 million euros). The company “seems to have stopped supplying directly to Russia in May 2022, but its products are apparently still imported via various suppliers across Turkey, Taiwan, Morocco and India”.
The survey also cites US-based Trimble. This manufactures a navigation system, Glonass, regularly “used in many weapons” Russians. Missile fragments did not identify this system in the weapons used for the war crimes described, but Trimble has continued to export products to Russia since the start of the offensive, for a total of 2.4 million dollars (2.27 million euros). Trimble ceased direct exports in June, but discussions continue with a different supplier, the report said.
Furthermore, the study notes that to date “more than ten” Russian arms manufacturers “remain sanction-free in the UK, EU and US”. “There are gaps that remain” on this subject, regretted, Thursday, with franceinfo Simon Papuashvili. The latter then underlined the need for a “some acceleration in this process”.
However, the European Union on Saturday announced a tenth round of sanctions against Moscow, with new restrictions on exports to Russia. “The list of restricted items that could contribute to the technological improvement of the Russian defense and security sector will now include new electronic components, used in Russian weapons systems found on the battlefield”said Brussels in its press release.