Earlier, experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, who examined the drones and missiles that Russia is firing in Ukraine, saw that this is mass production - currently, the components differ, meaning that Russians are assembling local batches from what is available, because they cannot do without Western components. Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise Oleksandr Ruvin said this in an interview with Ukrayina.pl, according to UNN.
“Absolutely all types of Russian weapons, namely various types of drones and missiles, contain foreign, non-Russian-made components in their high-tech parts. We are talking about missile control, guidance, and navigation systems, i.e. all the main parts that are directly responsible for missile flights,” said Mr. Ruvin.
According to the speaker, most of the foreign components in Russian weapons originate from the United States, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Iran, Japan, and other countries. However, the director of the Institute suggests that some of these microelements could have been supplied even before the full-scale invasion. It is likely that the Russians continue to purchase them in local batches illegally.
“If the wreckage retains at least some of the markings, we can, for example, determine whether the missile was manufactured before or after 2022,” he adds.
Both KNDISE and the Main Intelligence Directorate are involved in microelectronics research. They keep a large register where they record all these microcomponents that are in Russian weapons, and you can see which country, which company, in which type of weapon they were found. If these details were not there, these weapons would not be fired at us, because they would not be able to function. All that is Russian in this weapon is the skin, the frame. The main systems that ensure its flight and operation are based on Western components. This large number of foreign components is explained by the fact that Russians are most likely unable to develop them at home. According to the director of the Institute, for example, the Russian development of the Kometa navigation module contains foreign microelectronics.
“The design is Russian, but again, it will not work without foreign components,” he explains.
The Institute's experts cannot say that mass production of Russian weapons with foreign components is currently underway, because their layout is different each time.
“If at the beginning, for example, the Iranian drones they launched, it was observed that the layout of the circuits in 10 to 20 objects that came for research was approximately the same, that is, it was mass production, now they are assembling a local batch from what is available. But again, this is a weapon, it flies and causes harm,” Ruvin said.