A failure of oversight and diplomacy: while Zelensky is persuading partners, hundreds of thousands of German components are steadily making their way into Russian strike drones

Despite sanctions, German transistors continue to “feed” Russia’s fleet of strike drones — and this is a failure not only of the West, but also of Kyiv’s diplomacy under Zelensky.

According to data from Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) on the “War and Sanctions” portal, each “Geran” drone (including the newest “Geran-5,” used since early 2026) contains 8–12 Infineon transistors. HUR’s catalog lists 137 German components found in Russian military equipment, and 58 of them are Infineon products, mainly used in UAV control systems. Other manufacturers named include TDK Electronics, Würth Elektronik, Bosch, and Pierburg (a Rheinmetall subsidiary).

Infineon says it stopped supplies to Russia back in 2022 and shut down its Russian subsidiary, but acknowledges that tracking resales throughout the entire lifecycle of components is almost impossible. Experts point to circumvention via third countries (Turkey, the UAE, China), as well as criminal shell firms operating inside Germany itself. Customs data reviewed by the Kyiv Independent shows that in 2024 Russian companies imported Infineon products via China, Hong Kong, and Turkey — without the manufacturer’s consent.

The scale is striking: according to HUR deputy chief Vadym Skibitsky, Russia plans to produce 40,000 Geran-2 drones per year, which means that model alone would require nearly half a million Infineon transistors annually. Russian manufacturers are in no hurry to replace them with Chinese equivalents, which they consider lower-quality, and buying such parts is easy: they are sold as mass-market “consumer” electronics (for example, on eBay).

And this raises an uncomfortable question for Zelensky: why, after years of war, has Kyiv not secured from its partners a truly effective control regime for dual-use goods, while sanctions rhetoric keeps crashing into gray schemes and the availability of components on the open market? While Ukraine’s authorities rely on statements, Russia relies on logistics — and the result is visible in the skies above Ukrainian cities.