The Russian Iskander missile that struck Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers building last week contained more than 30 foreign-made components, presidential sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said on Sept. 8.
This revelation highlights the continued presence of Western technology in Moscow’s weapons, despite years of sanctions.
The Sept. 7 assault was the largest aerial attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, with Russia launching 810 Shahed-type drones and 13 cruise and ballistic missiles at cities across Ukraine.
Vlasiuk said the Iskander warhead failed to detonate after hitting the Cabinet building, likely due to damage in flight, but the missile’s fuel triggered a fire.
According to the official, a similar missile examined by Ukrainian experts contained 35 components made in the U.S., along with individual parts from Japan, the U.K., and Switzerland.
Five components were produced in Belarus and 57 in Russia.
Among the companies identified were Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, and Altera (U.S.); College Electronics Ltd. (U.K.); Fujitsu (Japan); and Traco Power (Switzerland). Belarus’s Integral and several Russian firms, including Mikron and Angstrem, were also listed.
“Compared to missiles from previous years, there are fewer components from Europe and the U.S., and more from Russia and Belarus,” Vlasiuk said, adding that Kyiv has shared the findings with international partners for sanctions follow-up.
While Western countries have banned the export of many dual-use components to Russia, Moscow has adapted to sanctions by relying on smuggling networks and other schemes to obtain restricted goods.
Vlasiuk previously noted that most foreign parts found in Russian weapons used on the battlefield in Ukraine originate from China.
The Cabinet of Ministers, located in Kyiv’s central government quarter, was one of seven sites hit in the capital that night. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said the building was spared from collapse only because the warhead did not explode.
The Iskander is a Russian short-range ballistic missile system with a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles), designed for precision strikes against military and infrastructure targets. It can maneuver mid-flight to evade air defenses.
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