Good morning to readers, Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
#Russia still continues to receive modern #Taiwanese chips to manufacture its deadly weapons.
We visited a forensic lab to find out how chips from Ukraine’s allies are found inside #Russian weapons.
It’s 11 am, on a normal working day in Kyiv.
You're sitting in the corridor of your office because an air raid alert has been announced due to a missile threat. Suddenly, you hear loud explosions outside.
Back in June 2022, #Taiwan imposed sanctions on Russia, including a ban on direct supplies of modern chips that could be used in weapons.
However, the #Russian Kh-101 used in the attack against #Okhmatdyt was only manufactured a few weeks before the attack.
To find out how Russia, in the third year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, circumvents sanctions and obtains modern electronics for its missiles and drones, follow the link:
https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/how-taiwanese-chips-find-their-way
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A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week! Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
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A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week! Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
@timkmak is there actually a way for these sanctions to be effective?
I don't know a ton about the legal and regulatory aspects of dual-use designation beyond a passing familiarity of ITAR and the types of products it applies to, but I do know electronics, and those boards are only going to need a few restricted parts, with most only needing automotive or industrial grade specs (mechanical shock, operating temperature) rather than rad-hardened aerospace stuff. ten ICs may enable ten bombs.
@gsuberland @timkmak Yeah, this is a recurring rant* I have about coverage of electronics sanctions. If you look at GUR database, the vast majority of it seems essentially impossible to sanction. Like, a 16 mbit flash chip that sells for < $0.5 https://war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/en/components/5067
At the limit, RU agents paying cash to someone to buy 1000s in Shenzhen and stuffing it in a diplomatic pouch seems impossible to prevent
* https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/113126706527205459 https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/110929963697956934
Tim Mak
Graham Sutherland / Polynomial
Reed Mideke
Kevin Leecaster