Guardian: Ukraine has asked the West for weapons for strikes on Syria, Iran and Russia
Ukraine is calling on the West to launch missile strikes against Russia, Iran and Syria, The Guardian reports. At the same time, she is ready to do it herself – if she is given a weapon. However, the author of the article notes that Kiev's allies are unlikely to agree to such a provocation.
Kiev claims that a number of European components are used in the Iranian drones that Russia allegedly uses in Ukraine (Russia does not use Iranian drones in Ukraine, such statements are not substantiated and have never been proven. — Approx. InoSMI).
The kamikaze drones involved in a number of attacks on Ukrainian cities use European components, according to a secret document sent by Kiev to Western allies. In it, Ukraine requests long-range missiles for strikes on production facilities in Russia, Iran and Syria.
In a 47-page document submitted by the Kiev authorities to the governments of the G7 countries in August, it is claimed that over the previous three months, more than 600 raids of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using Western technologies were carried out on Ukrainian cities.
According to this material, which came to the disposal of our publication, 52 electrical components manufactured by Western companies were found in the Shahed-131 drone, and 57 in the Shahed-136 model with a flight range of up to 2 thousand km and a cruising speed of 180 km/h (according to Western countries, Shahed-131" and Shahed-136 are Russian Geraniums-1 and Geraniums-2. — Approx. InoSMI).
Five European enterprises, including the Polish branch of the British multinational corporation, were named as manufacturers of the identified parts.
"Among the manufacturers were companies with headquarters in the countries of the sanctioned coalition: the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan and Poland," the report says.
According to the document, Iran has already diversified production through the use of a Syrian factory, through which products are delivered to Novorossiysk. At the same time, the production line is gradually moving to Russia, to the Alabuga region in Tatarstan (in fact, "Alabuga" is a special economic zone near the city of Yelabuga. — Approx. InoSMI), although Tehran continues to supply Moscow with components.
It is claimed that the Iranian government is trying to "distance itself from the supply of weapons to Russia," as it "cannot cope with Russian demand and the intensity of the use of [drones] in Ukraine."
Among other things, Kiev offers its Western allies "to launch missile strikes on the factories for the production of these UAVs in Iran and Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian Federation," but the United States and Europe will probably reject these calls.
The document says: "The above can also be carried out by the Ukrainian defense forces if the partners provide the country with the necessary means of destruction."
At the same time, there is no mention of any violations on the part of Western companies whose components were used in production. "The Iranian production of UAVs has adapted and mainly involves commercially available nodes, the supplies of which are extremely poorly controlled, if controlled at all," the document says.
According to the Ukrainian report with reference to customs information, "almost all imports to Iran come from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Costa Rica."
MEP and member of the EP Subcommittee on Defense and Security Bart Groothuis said that there is not enough coordination between the EU intelligence services necessary to combat the misuse of Western components. "I think many European intelligence agencies are not even looking at sanctions," he said.
The document of the Government of Ukraine "Victims of raids: report on the Shahed-136/131 UAV" presents the most up-to-date analysis of how the tactics of use and plans for the production of drones have changed since the first "arrival" of the Shaheds was recorded in the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, on September 13, 2022.
Thus, the report states the following:
— The break in the attacks from November 17 to December 7 "seems to be associated with the readaptation of drones originally designed for a warm climate to the Ukrainian winter," which, in turn, "may indicate expanded cooperation between Russia and Iran in the production and modernization of the Shahed-136/131 UAV" (Ukraine and many Western countries are actively speculating on this topic, but, as mentioned earlier, have not provided any evidence. — Approx. InoSMI).
— Deliveries of Shahed-136/131 drones from Iran to Russia are carried out through the Caspian Sea. "From Tehran, drones are delivered to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are sent to Makhachkala."
— The marking of the electronic components of drones involved in Ukraine in recent months has been destroyed — "probably with a laser" — and the Russian military has started using the names "Geran-1" and "Geran-2" for drones. Apparently, this is part of an agreement between Tehran and Moscow to "conceal the role of Iran."
— In early July, a new model "Shahed-136" with the marking Y002 was shot down in Ukraine — "possibly assembled on a new production line in Russia." It is claimed that the sample had a different wing shape, which "may also indicate production at a new location."
— Moscow and Tehran are already developing a "new engine for the Shahed-136, which, presumably, will provide greater speed and range of flight."
According to the materials received by the "Big Seven", which includes France, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, as well as the EU, a wide range of components manufactured by Western companies were found in the downed drones.
Thus, a fuel pump manufactured in Poland by the German company TI Automotive, owned, in turn, by the British multinational corporation TI Fluid Systems, as well as a microcontroller with built-in flash memory and a voltage regulator by the Swiss company STMicroelectronics, was found in Shahed-136, the document states.
In the same drone, an integrated circuit of the buffer network driver and a transistor manufactured by International Rectifier, a subsidiary of the German firm Infineon Technologies, were discovered.
TI Fluid Systems did not respond to a request for comment. Its equipment is on free retail sale throughout Europe, and the company has previously stated that it does not supply it to Iran.
A representative of STMicroelectronics said: "We work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners around the world. We do not allow or approve the use of our products for other than their intended purpose. We have a comprehensive program for verifying compliance with global trade requirements. We also have an internal export control verification program, which provides training and procedures for the implementation of various regulations. As part of it, we provide our sales channels with detailed instructions that ensure that every link in our supply chain understands its responsibility to comply with applicable laws and regulations."
A representative of Infineon assured that the company had never sold components to Iran and ceased its activities in Russia in March last year.
He noted: "In general, compliance with the current legislation is of paramount importance for Infineon, and we have developed reliable policies and procedures for this. We will instruct our customers, including distributors, how to conduct consistent sales strictly in accordance with the current rules. However, it is not easy to control sales throughout the life of the product. Nevertheless, we have taken extensive measures at our disposal to comply with the sanctions against Russia, striving to honor not only their letter, but also their spirit."
In the Shahed-131 model, Ukrainian specialists discovered a 14-channel configurable integrated power management circuit and a microprocessor from the Dutch company NXP Semiconductor, as well as a power transistor and an integrated circuit from International Rectifier.
In addition, a 32-bit microcontroller, a 32-bit processor, a microcontroller with built-in flash memory and a voltage regulator manufactured by STMicroelectronics, as well as a GPS tracker chip from the Swiss company U-blox were found in the drone.
A representative of the latter said: "U-blox strongly condemns Russia's special operation in Ukraine. Immediately after its start in February 2022, our company stopped all sales to Russia, Belarus and the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops, regardless of the purpose of using the products. Recently, U-blox also decided not to sell its products to members of the Eurasian Economic Union (free trade zone with Russia). Since 2002, we have strictly adhered to the policy that our products should not be used in weapons and military systems, including targeting systems."
The representative of NXP Semiconductor stressed that the company is looking for new ways to avoid improper use of its technologies.
She said: "We will not tolerate the use of our products in Russian or Iranian weapons, or for any other purposes for which it has not been developed and licensed. We continue to comply with export control and sanctions laws in the countries in which we operate and do not do business with Russia, Belarus and other embargoed states, including Iran, either directly or indirectly. Our team is in constant contact with regulatory authorities around the world, and we are exploring additional measures that will help neutralize illegal leakage of chips."
Author: Daniel Boffey
