russian ‘Iskander’ missiles contain dozens of foreign components

Vladislav Vlasyuk, the Ukrainian President’s representative on sanctions policy, stated this in a comment to LIGA.net.

During the latest large-scale attack on 6 July, the defenders failed to shoot down a single russian “Iskander-M”/S-400 or “Zircon”/“Onyx” anti-ship missile. Ukraine uses American Patriot air defence systems to shoot down ballistic missiles, but there is a shortage of missiles for these systems. However, there is still no domestic alternative to them.

“An analysis of the component base of the ‘Iskander-M’ missile confirms once again that russia has been unable to shake off its critical dependence on foreign electronics,” Vlasyuk stated in a comment to LIGA.net.

According to him, the components identified in these missiles include products from the American firms Advanced Micro Devices, Texas Instruments, Altera (49 per cent owned by the tech giant Intel, 51 per cent by another major company, Silver Lake – Ed.), Xilinx, Microchip Technology, Integrated Device Technology (IDT), Cypress Semiconductor, Maxim Integrated, as well as the Swiss manufacturer Traco Power.

“These include programmable logic chips (which form the basis of digital electronics – Ed.), processors, digital signal processors, power supply modules and other components necessary for the operation of high-precision weapons,” the official explained.

He noted that microelectronics manufactured in 2025 had been found in “Iskander-M” missiles produced in 2026.

Vlasyuk pointed out that Moscow continues to find ways to obtain Western electronics through networks of intermediaries, using third countries and opaque supply chains.

The official described this as “further proof that sanctions policy requires constant refinement”.

The Presidential Envoy emphasised the need to strengthen controls not only over direct supplies to the russian federation, but also over re-exports (the import of goods from third countries), and the activities of distributors and intermediary companies through which such products may find their way into the aggressor country’s military-industrial complex.

“Every component identified helps us to better understand these supply chains and close off opportunities for their further use,” Vlasyuk concluded.

He also reported that each “Iskander-M” contains 34 foreign components.

By way of comparison: in the attack on 6 July, the occupiers may have used 23 such ballistic missiles – that is 782 components obtained by russia from abroad. This figure is approximate, as the Ukrainian Air Force records “Iskander-M” missiles in the same category as S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, which the invaders have modified for ground strikes.

Source: LIGA.net