3 July 2023

A new report has found that Russian forces have used Iranian-made Shahed-136 UAVs that contain Western components to commit suspected war crimes in Ukraine.

Co-authored by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), Truth Hounds, and Global Diligence LLP, and entitled, ‘Terror in the details: Western-made Components in Russia’s Shahed-136 Attacks’, the report details ten attacks where the Shahed-136 was found to have been involved. The attacks targeted residential buildings, power plants, businesses, a school and a children’s summer camp. In each instance, the report examines the context of the attack, the presence of military objects or activity in the vicinity of target, and the means by which they have identified the Shahed-136 as being used.

The report finds that Russia’s Shahed-136 attacks are intentionally aimed at the civilian population and infrastructure, with no tangible military advantage gained as a result of the attacks; the primary purpose is deemed to be terrorising the civilian population.

Multiple Shahed-136 fuselages that have been used by Russia in Ukraine were also analysed. They contained a variety of components manufactured by American, Japanese, Canadian, and Swiss companies, ranging from microprocessors and semiconductors to ethernet transceivers and memory.

The report sounds the alarm as to the Russian military’s reliance on Western-made components in its war against Ukraine and the urgent need to restrict the continued supply of such components. It provides comprehensive recommendations across sanctions and export controls, including enforcement, corporate due diligence and know-your-customer procedures, as well as diplomatic coordination to effectively exploit Russia’s reliance upon Western components, described as its “Achilles heel.”

Simon Papuashvili, Programme Director of IPHR, said: “As Russia relentlessly targets Ukrainian cities with devastating impact through the use of long-range guided rocket systems and deadly Iranian-made drones, it remains distressing to witness western-manufactured components finding their way into the hands of authoritarian regimes responsible for producing weapons utilized in heinous war crimes that we are documenting on the ground. The disheartening reality is that intermediaries adeptly exploit existing sanctions regimes, effortlessly uncovering loopholes. It is high time for Western companies to take proactive measures, exerting greater efforts to impede the procurement of their products by suspected war criminals who inflict terror upon countless innocent civilians in Ukraine.”

Olena Tregub, Executive Director of Nako, said: “Rather than allowing the reliance on Western components to become an Achilles heel in the production of Iranian drones, we persist in making Western technologies their advantage. It is crucial to change this situation to effectively prevent further instances of war crimes and genocide in Ukraine”...