Belarusian companies supply Russia with Western-made chips worth over $ 400,000, investigation finds

The Belarusian Investigative Center has revealed that from September 2022 to June 2024, Belarusian companies sold microchips worth over $125 million to Russian companies, including approximately $400,000 in Western-made chips. Ukraine has discovered a significant number of foreign components in Russian weaponry, revealing Russia's successful attempts to circumvent international sanctions. An analysis of approximately 2,500 foreign parts found in Russian drones and missiles indicates that about 73% of these components originate from US manufacturers, with notable contributions from Switzerland, Japan, and China. Despite Western sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's military supply chains, the Kremlin continues to acquire critical microelectronics and other materials through third-party countries, particularly China, which has become a crucial supplier. The Belarusian Investigative Center found that nearly 10,000 microchips from American and European manufacturers, including Intel chips used in military equipment and weapons, were exported to Russia from September 2022 to June 2024. One of the key suppliers was identified as "Alexvit Ltd," a company linked to Viktor Sheyman, a close ally of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and led by Sergei Borysyuk, former deputy head of the Belarusian State Customs Committee. Between September 2022 and June 2023, this company sold 131 microchips made in the US, Finland, and Germany to Russia. Another company, "Logistics Company Vostok," reportedly shipped over 215,000 microchips worth approximately $800,000 to Russia between December 2022 and March 2023. It is controlled by Alexei Matveev, who previously worked with the Belarusian Tennis Federation, which has ties to businessman Sergei Teterin, also under EU sanctions. The investigation also revealed that "SD Elektro," which cooperates with the Russian company "Green-Chip," has been facilitating the supply of electronic components from the US and Europe to Russia. Among the largest suppliers of American microchips were companies established shortly after the war in Ukraine began. One such company, "Pervyi Kontinent," sold 1,665 microchips worth $155,000 to Russian companies between January and June 2024. The owner of the company, Ilya Tarasyuk, has worked for over 20 years in Belarus' military-industrial sector. The main buyer of microchips from "Pervyi Kontinent" in Russia is "Staut," a company under US and EU sanctions.

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