Russia may be using Swiss micro-electronic components for offensive

Firefighters in Ukraine work through the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone attack. According to reports from the US government, at least 42,000 Ukrainian civilians have already died in the war in Ukraine. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

According to statistics from the Swiss federal ministry for customs and border security, Russian weapons could have been produced in part due to modern technologies from Switzerland that are originally intended for civilian use.

The TamediaExternal link media group reports that the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) recently drew up a list of micro-electronic goods that were mainly intended for civilian purposes, but which the Swiss government assigned a possible military purpose. This would include capacitors, processors or controllers.

According to Tamedia, the analysis of the data from April 2023, showed that Switzerland has directly exported such goods to Russia for around CHF250,000 ($276,000) since the beginning of the conflict. According to SECO, Putin’s military uses these types of components to build cruise missiles, rockets and drones.

The aforementioned list is based on a document from the US anti-money laundering agency, FinCEN, and the US Office of Export Controls. This document states that the listed goods were based on components “seized on the battlefield in Ukraine,” specifically mentioning the Russian Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles, as well as the Orlan drone. Components originating from Switzerland were also discovered in these weapons. 

++Tracking Western parts in Russian weapons used against Ukraine

SECO also identifies radio navigation equipment, such as GNSS modules, which can be used in missiles and drones for position determination. The Tamedia report highlights the significance of these suspected violations of sanctions in Swiss exports when examining individual products.

Direct exports from Switzerland to Russia ceased at the start of the war, but exports to Georgia, Kazakhstan, China, and Serbia have partially compensated for the earlier volume since Russia’s invasion.

Although Swiss customs statistics do not address the issue, media reports indicate that Swiss exports to some of these countries have ended up in the hands of the Russian military in several cases.

According to reports from the US government, the war in Ukraine has already claimed the lives of at least 42,000 Ukrainian civilians, with many of them falling victim to attacks carried out by cruise missiles, rockets, and drones.

Certain Swiss companies involved in the production of microelectronics have stated their compliance with the sanctions against Russia. In a statement published in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaperExternal link, one such company, Traco Power stated: “We regularly issue reminders to our entire distribution network in writing and verbally to enforce the sanctions. We are all deeply concerned by the circumstances”.

The company further emphasised that they will continue to export to authorised distributors in Serbia, China, and Turkey, as these countries are not subject to sanctions, and they do not export any products listed on SECO’s red list.