Britain has sent key equipment worth $100 million to Russia, including semiconductors and drones – The Times

British suppliers exported important components to Russia, including semiconductors and drones, totaling over $100 million in the first 10 months of 2023.

This was reported by The Times.

British suppliers shipped key equipment to Russia worth $100 million. Goods worth about $15 million were sent to Russia directly from warehouses in the United Kingdom.

The authors of the publication note that this figure indicates a sharp reduction in trade between Russia and Britain compared to 2022 when essential components worth around $770 million were exported. However, almost two years after the start of full-scale war in Ukraine, British technologies continue to find their way into the Russian army, often indirectly through foreign third parties.

The article refers to data provided by the Kyiv School of Economics and the international working group Ermak-McFaul regarding anti-Russian sanctions. Their research was based on seized Russian weapons found in Ukraine, including the hypersonic missile “Kinzhal,” and data from other sources.

In total, 28 components of British origin were found in Russian weapons, compared to over 2000 of American origin. Many components, although not necessarily subject to sanctions, are essential for Russian weapons and cannot be produced domestically.

Most British goods exported to Russia are semiconductor and computer components. But in 2023, British-made machines with “computer numerical control” (CNC) worth approximately $1.5 million were also delivered to Russia. It is noted that precision devices are particularly useful for defense production and have become a major concern for Ukraine’s allies.

The article authors recalled that in November, the United States imposed broad sanctions on all major Russian importers of CNC equipment, including some that supplied equipment worth less than $200,000 after the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Other companies also increased their exposure to Russia in 2023 by increasing exports from the UK or overseas production capacity.

Among them is FTDI, a British semiconductor manufacturer, which, according to The Times, produced microchips found in an abandoned Russian tank in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, in March 2022. Last year, around $1.5 million worth of FTDI components were imported into Russia, compared to $500,000 in 2022.