A Ukrainian technical intelligence officer claimed that a captured Russian drone contained many components made by Ukraine’s Western allies.
A video showing the intelligence officer stripping down a Russian Orlan-10 surveillance drone was shared by CNN on its website.
He said that the drone’s cell phone tracker was made in the US, and the engine was produced in Japan.
The officer also claimed that the Orlan-10’s thermal imaging module was manufactured in France just after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
The Western components are reportedly helping Russia locate and kill Ukrainian soldiers.
The officer also said that parts from Austria, Germany, Taiwan, and the Netherlands were found in the drone.
He said he would continue tracking the serial numbers on the drone’s components to identify their manufacturers and alert allies to the development.
The discovery of Western parts in Russian weapons and equipment continues despite the military export sanctions imposed by the US and European Union in 2014.
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian armed forces seized Russian military assets containing microchips from the US.
According to a military analyst, finding US-made microchips in Russian equipment highlights Moscow’s “total dependence on western technology.”
The Ukrainian military claims that the guidance systems and electronics recovered from Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles used in Ukraine were developed in the 1960-1970s. https://t.co/XF0lEM3jdH pic.twitter.com/4XTaWCO0WS
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 22, 2022
CNN’s Nic Robertson said that stopping the supply of commercial components to Russia would not be easy as the country may have stockpiled Western parts for future use.
He further noted that Moscow “has a long history of evading sanctions.”
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