has been heavily sanctioned following its attack on Ukraine more than three years ago and the two countries have been involved in a bloody battle costing massive loss of life and property. But a newly released investigative report claims to expose a stark contradiction at the heart of the Ukraine war and lay bare the western hands behind the Russian military might.While the United States leads the world in supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine, the same Western technology, primarily from American and allied manufacturers, continues to power Russia’s most advanced fighter jets, which have inflicted some of the deadliest strikes on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

The 84-page report, published by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), claims to have meticulously documented how Russian Su-34 and Su-35S fighter jets are assembled with hundreds of imported microelectronic components sourced from companies based in the US and other western nations. These jets, central to Russia’s air campaign since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, have been used in dozens of high-profile attacks on Ukrainian cities, often with devastating consequences.
Despite sweeping international sanctions and export controls, Russia continues to acquire Western-made microelectronics through a complex web of “gray” supply chains and global intermediaries. The report, which analyzed over 180,000 customs shipment records from 2023, revealed that Russia imported approximately $805 million worth of microelectronic goods last year alone.

These shipments, containing vital components for military aviation, are funneled through countries such as China, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE, where intermediary firms and shell companies obscure the final destination and military end-use.

The investigation traced more than 1,100 microelectronic components from 141 Western companies embedded in Russian Su-34 and Su-35S jets. The majority of these parts originated from U.S. chipmakers, including Texas Instruments, Intel, Analog Devices, On Semiconductor, and AMD, with significant contributions from firms in Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Some manufacturers, such as Murata Manufacturing, have publicly stated their products are not intended for military use, but the report highlights a lack of effective oversight and enforcement, with companies often unable or unwilling to trace how their components end up in Russian weapons.

A U.S. Senate investigation cited in the report found that Texas Instruments failed to respond to over 100 trace requests regarding the presence of its components in Russian weaponry between August 2022 and February 2024. Meanwhile, Russian suppliers openly advertise their ability to procure sanctioned Western parts, exploiting regulatory loopholes and lax enforcement in transit countries.
The Su-34 and Su-35S fighters, equipped with precision-guided munitions such as the UMPB D30-SN glide bomb and Grom-1 missiles, have repeatedly struck many targets in Ukraine. Investigators analyzed more than 60 cases, geolocating impact sites and identifying the weapons used. The report details 10 of the most egregious attacks between May 2023 and May 2024, which resulted in 26 civilian deaths and 109 injuries. These airstrikes destroyed at least 71 homes, five schools, five medical facilities, and several energy infrastructure sites, as claimed by the report.
The continued influx of Western technology into Russia’s military-industrial complex not only undermines the effectiveness of sanctions but also directly enables the very airstrikes that the U.S. and its allies are trying to help Ukraine defend against.