Swiss-made electronic components have been discovered in Russian drones, hypersonic missiles and even anti-personnel mines used in Ukraine, reported RTS. According to an investigation by Tamedia, more than 320 Swiss components have been recovered on Ukrainian soil.
Ukrainian military intelligence, which has examined debris from numerous Russian weapons, ranks Switzerland as the third-largest supplier of electronic components found in Russian systems—behind only the United States and China. Its list includes some 5,200 critical parts used in high-tech weaponry.
Three Swiss firms are cited, with components appearing in both kamikaze drones and hypersonic missiles. Many of the items identified are chips from STMicroelectronics, based in Geneva. The company told RTS it neither authorises nor condones the use of its products for unintended purposes. Another firm says the suspect parts may have been salvaged from cars or electric scooters before being shipped to Russia.
A porous system
Despite sanctions, such ostensibly civilian components continue to end up in Russian arms. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) acknowledges the difficulty of controlling these flows. Acquisitions, it says, are typically made through distributors in third countries that have not joined international sanctions. Turkey, China, Serbia and Kazakhstan are among the states whose microelectronics exports have surged since the war began; some have free-trade agreements with Russia, reducing the need to re-export via circuitous routes.
SECO also notes that many of the items involved are mass-market industrial parts lacking obvious military characteristics. They therefore do not qualify as dual-use goods subject to export controls. The agency says it is working with the companies concerned and with Ukrainian authorities to stem such transfers.
Political reactions
The revelations have prompted calls for tighter rules. Fabien Fivaz, a Green member of the Council of States, laments a legislative grey zone, recalling that parliament previously rejected tougher measures. The security-policy committee now wants to extend controls to all arms-related exports, not just specific categories or dual-use items.
Others question the implications. Nicolas Kolly, an SVP/UDC parliamentarian, argues that the situation is not compatible with Swiss law but warns that the Ukrainian assessment lacks equivalent data on Ukrainian weaponry. He suggests Swiss components are likely present there too, and opposes proposals to exclude firms from global supply chains.
Pascal Broulis (FDR/PLR), speaking to RTS, cautions against endangering Swiss industry over components found on battlefields, stressing that these are not weapons themselves.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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