Russian missile that destroyed children’s hospital in Kyiv contained Western components – FT

The Russian Kh-101 missile that destroyed the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv is based on Western-made components.

This shows that the Kremlin is circumventing sanctions introduced to reduce Russia’s capability to finance its war efforts. The Financial Times reported about foreign components in the Russian Kh-101 missile, citing industry experts and Ukrainian officials.

Russian missile that destroyed Okhmatdyt is based on Western components

Captured on camera seconds before it hit the children’s hospital on Monday, the Kh-101 is one of Russia’s most advanced cruise missiles and is crucial to its campaigns of massive air strikes against Ukraine.

“Western technology allows the Russians to build smarter missiles that allow their terrorist attacks to get past our weak air defenses,” said Olena Bilousova, a leading researcher on sanctions at the KSE Institute in Kyiv, according to Channel 24.

The Office of the President of Ukraine’s analysis, which the FT obtained, suggests that the X-101 missile may contain more than 50 different foreign-made parts.

“Without them, Russia would not be able to produce weapons. Unfortunately, the enemy is circumventing sanctions restrictions, and we need to tighten control. We must shout about it because these missiles are aimed at civilians, especially children. These are instruments of genocide,” wrote Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

FT findings about the Russian missile and its components

The FT writes that despite the fact that sanctions have cut Russia off from some advanced components, the Kremlin’s defense sector has turned to microprocessors and other advanced technologies not intended for military use.

Ukraine’s analysis of the Kh-101 missile launch in January clearly demonstrates this shift. The missile contained 16 pieces of Western-made electronics back then.

The FT noted that two of the components were labeled as being made by STMicroelectronics, a Swiss-headquartered company, and the rest by American chipmakers, including Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, and Intel.

The primary purpose of all the goods, some of which are quite old, is for civilian use.

An analysis of Russian documents by the Financial Times shows how Russian companies in 2023 were able to obtain parts identical to those used in the January Kh-101 simply by buying them on the open market and importing them through China.

Russian documents claim that Western manufacturers manufactured the parts, but they all list China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, or Thailand as their places of production.

The FT also noted that Russia is producing almost eight times more Kh-101 missiles than before the full-scale invasion in 2022 and still relies on parts from Western countries, particularly the United States.