Technology designed and developed within the European Union is being found in Russian missiles and bombs, multiple media reports claim.
According to Ukraine authorities, Germany is the single greatest EU producer of parts found in Russian weaponry, with Kyiv saying that it has found tech from 16 different German companies within the remains of Russian ballistic missiles.
German authorities confirmed they were in contact with their Ukrainian counterparts. The reports that material designed or produced in Germany was being used in Russian missiles were being “taken very seriously”.
It remains unclear how the parts ended up in Russian ownership, with some suggesting that the technology could have been exported from Europe to the country before sanctions began in 2022 over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Others say that the parts may have been exported to Russia by unknown third parties.
The discoveries have prompted serious concern among authorities in several European nations, with EU-level sanctions partly being designed to prevent such technology from ending up in Russian hands.
Apparently, there is also evidence that Russia is cannibalising consumer goods to produce its rockets, with Bild reporting that the country has increased its imports of various types of electronics and white goods since the conflict in Ukraine began.
Parts designed for such consumer products seem to have been recently discovered in Russian rockets, with the Irish Independent writing that antennas designed and produced by Irish company Taoglas were allegedly discovered in one Russian bomb.
First published on social media, an image of what was claimed to be the internal workings of a “terrible” 500kg Russian bomb shows four antennas that carry the logo of the Irish business. The parts were described by the company as being designed for a “broad market”, with millions of units having been shipped worldwide.
The firm also claimed that an old version of their logo appears to be printed on the discovered antennas, indicating that the parts may have been produced sometime before 2019. A spokesman for the company went on to say that it “stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine”, and that it does not condone the use of its products in “unauthorised activities”.
There is no suggestion that the business is in any way at fault for Russia’s alleged use of the technology.
Ireland’s Government, meanwhile, said its Department of Foreign Affairs was in contact with the European Commission about the issue and that “initial indications” are that the antennas were produced outside of Ireland, albeit by an Irish company.
