German-made components found in Russian drones despite EU sanctions

Hundreds of thousands of German-made components are utilized successful Russian drones attacking Ukraine, according to Ukraine's subject quality service.

The HUR published a database of components without which Russian drones would not function, galore of which originated successful Germany.

The War and Sanctions portal lists 137 components from Germany - 59 of them installed successful drones. The remainder are recovered successful missiles, radar systems, subject vehicles and helicopters.

German transistors successful Geran drones

Transistors are the astir commonly utilized components. The HUR published a elaborate database of specified transistors from Germany, including their manufacturers. One German institution sanction appears repeatedly connected the War & Sanctions website: Infineon Technologies.

"Infineon Technologies condemns Russia's warfare of aggression against Ukraine. We are profoundly acrophobic erstwhile our products are misused for purposes for which they are not intended," Infineon Technologies told Euronews.

One illustration is the Geran-5 drone, successful which German transistors were found, according to Ukrainian intelligence. The International Institute of Strategic Studies said it is an upgraded, jet-powered variant of the Geran series.

Debris recovered successful Ukraine seemingly points to a revised aerodynamic plan that much intimately resembles a cruise missile.

The drone is said to scope speeds of up to 600 km/h, person a scope of astir 950 kilometres and transportation a payload of astir 90 kilograms. The Geran-5 is fitted with a much almighty motor and an aerodynamically optimised design. Compared with the Geran-3, the drone is faster and has a greater range.

Fuel pumps are different constituent installed successful Russian drones. War & Sanctions lists 7 parts from the German institution Bosch, built into galore drones, including the Geran-3 and Shahed-136.

"Bosch nary longer has immoderate operational concern relations with Russia. Nor does the institution proviso immoderate products oregon components to Russia. All our units and unit worldwide person been instructed not to behaviour immoderate concern with Russia oregon Belarus," Bosch told Euronews.

Record drone attacks successful March

Russia launched 6,462 Shahed-type drones astatine Ukraine successful March 2026, averaging 208 per time - a caller record, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

This surpassed some February 2026 (181 per day) and the erstwhile grounds successful July 2025 (203 per day).

Between 6 p.m. connected 23 March and 6 p.m. connected 24 March, Russia launched 948 Shahed-type drones and 35 missiles - the highest regular drone deployment against Ukraine since the commencement of the war.

For comparison, successful March 2025 drone launches averaged 140 per day. That represented a crisp summation compared with the play from August 2024 to 31 January 2025, erstwhile the mean was 60 drones per day.

The Shahed-136 is simply a kamikaze drone developed successful Iran and designed to onslaught crushed targets. It has a distinctive delta-wing plan and is usually fired successful groups from motorboat racks.

The drone flies comparatively dilatory and astatine debased altitude and is mostly guided by satellite-based navigation. It carries a warhead of astir 30 to 50 kilograms and, depending connected the ngo profile, tin scope ranges from respective 100 to much than a 1000 kilometres.

Because of its comparatively elemental and inexpensive design, it is considered peculiarly suitable for saturation attacks. Russia uses the Shahed-136 successful its warfare against Ukraine nether the designation Geran-2.

Components successful subject vehicles

In summation to transistors and pumps, Russia is besides utilizing inductors, generators, capacitors, transformers and batteries.

These components are utilized successful the Kamaz-63968, a Russian heavy armoured multipurpose subject conveyance developed to transport unit nether combat conditions.

The conveyance has an armoured hull with a V-shaped underbody to support against mines and improvised explosive devices, arsenic good arsenic modular armour against small-arms fire.

Depending connected the configuration, it tin transportation up to 16 soldiers and tin beryllium equipped with modern communications systems and optional remote-controlled limb stations.

Components from Bosch person besides been recovered successful the ZSA-T Linza, a Russian armoured aesculapian evacuation conveyance designed specifically for usage successful combat zones to retrieve and transport wounded unit nether armour.

The conveyance offers ballistic extortion and a level designed to withstand mines and improvised explosive devices. Depending connected the version, it tin transportation respective wounded radical lying down oregon seated and comes with basal aesculapian instrumentality for archetypal assistance during transport.

Other components tin beryllium traced to German manufacturers, including TDK Electronics, Würth Elektronik and Pierburg, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall.

How components scope Russia

Producing Shahed drones successful Russia is comparatively inexpensive, which is wherefore they are manufactured determination connected a wide scale, according to The Kyiv Independent.

One European quality root told The Kyiv Independent that the Geran-2 drone poses a imaginable menace to the European Union due to the fact that of its scope of astir 2,000 kilometres.

During large-scale Russian aerial raids connected Ukraine, Russian Shahed combat drones person violated the airspace of neighbouring Poland, Romania and Moldova.

In 2025 a Russian Shahed drone failed to detonate successful Ukraine. It was recovered and dismantled by Ukrainian subject intelligence, The Kyiv Independent reported. The Geran-2 had been manufactured astatine the Russian Kupol works successful Izhevsk.

Among the wreckage, investigators recovered an encoder produced by the Austrian institution ams-OSRAM.

Ukraine's subject quality work dated the manufacture of the sensor to 2024, 2 years aft the Kremlin launched its full-scale warfare against Ukraine and aft the EU had imposed export restrictions.

According to a connection from ams-OSRAM cited by The Kyiv Independent, the sensor was shipped successful July 2024 to a institution successful Hong Kong. From determination it was forwarded to a steadfast successful China, which the shaper regarded arsenic the extremity user.

Despite a contractual clause prohibiting the product's usage for subject purposes, the sensor inactive ended up successful a Russian subject drone.

Either the Chinese institution sold the sensor to Russia, oregon it utilized the Austrian-made sensor arsenic a constituent successful a larger merchandise and past sold that merchandise to Russia, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Third countries named arsenic transit routes

Euronews contacted 5 German companies, including Infineon Technologies, Rheinmetall, Würth Elektronik, Bosch and TDK Electronics. Three of them replied.

"We are making peculiar efforts and person implemented circumstantial controls to forestall the amerciable and abusive usage of the products we manufacture. Compliance with applicable laws is of the utmost value to Infineon, and we person taken extended measures to guarantee compliance with sanctions not lone successful missive but besides successful spirit," Infineon Technologies said**.**

The institution said it has not supplied immoderate components to Russia since the commencement of Moscow's warfare of aggression against Ukraine successful aboriginal 202.

"Immediately aft Russia's onslaught connected Ukraine, Infineon Technologies took broad measures to halt each nonstop and indirect deliveries to Russia, careless of the past inactive existing ineligible anticipation of continuing definite business. As decided successful March 2022, the institution subsequently coiled up its Russian subsidiary," it said.

Infineon Technologies told Euronews that it blocks transportation systems utilized for nonstop oregon indirect shipments to Russia. "We besides merchantability our products lone to customers who are not suspected of doing concern with Russia," the institution said.

To forestall misuse, the institution relies connected a "no-Russia clause". Every transportation enactment points retired the prohibition connected forwarding goods to Russia and Belarus. If it is established that a concern spouse is trading with Russia, Infineon Technologies stops supplying that company, it added.

The institution said it proactively conducts interior investigations into products and cooperates with the authorities.

However, Infineon Technologies besides acknowledged: "What happens to the products thereafter lies extracurricular our nonstop sphere of influence." It is highly hard to show a product's resale passim its full beingness cycle, the institution said.

"We manufacture astir 30 cardinal chips a year. Worldwide, lone astir 60 states are applying the sanctions, which makes a coordinated and effectual planetary effect much difficult," the institution told Euronews.

Some items whitethorn beryllium counterfeits, companies say

Bosch commented connected the pumps listed by the HUR connected its website. "We are mostly alert of reports specified arsenic the ones you mention," the institution said.

The institution said it had examined the accusation and images. Referring to 1 lawsuit involving a substance pump, Bosch stated: "Our investigation successful the lawsuit of 1 substance pump showed that this was not a Bosch product."

Yet the War & Sanctions portal explicitly mentions Bosch pumps and publishes corresponding images.

"In general, substance pumps of the benignant successful question are sold arsenic mass-produced items successful ample quantities for usage successful backstage vehicles," the institution said. "There are besides often counterfeit versions of these products successful circulation," Bosch told Euronews.

"On the ground of our analysis, we presume that this was besides the lawsuit present and that the point was a fake. In different cases, the worldly disposable to america suggests that the products acrophobic – successful this lawsuit physics components – could perchance beryllium modular off-the-shelf Bosch products that are sold successful ample volumes for a wide scope of applications, for illustration smartphones," Bosch told Euronews.

Bosch said it has halted each nonstop and indirect deliveries of Bosch products to Russia and each services for customers successful Russia.

The institution said it uses assorted tools to minimise the hazard of circumvention. For example, successful dealings with caller and existing customers, Bosch pays adjacent attraction to perchance captious factors specified arsenic unexpected bid volumes.

"The extremity usage of our supplies is often chartless due to the fact that of complex, multi-stage proviso chains. It is highly hard to show consequent income pursuing nonstop organisation implicit the full beingness rhythm of a product. It is important that each parts of a proviso concatenation comply with existing regulations," the connection said.

Parallel imports typically hap without the manufacturer's cognition and originate from countries that person not imposed sanctions connected Russia, the institution added. "We person nary reliable accusation connected the standard of imaginable parallel imports, nor is it imaginable to measure this connected the Russian market," Bosch told Euronews.

Rheinmetall learns of its parts' destiny from authorities

Rheinmetall besides responded to Euronews’ enquiry, stating that it afloat respects the sanctions connected Moscow and is moving intimately with German authorities connected investigating however immoderate of its products made their mode to Russia.

"Rheinmetall takes the utmost attraction to guarantee that each home and overseas companies wrong the radical comply with each applicable sanctions, including those imposed connected Russia," Rheinmetall said.

In January 2024, the German customs authorities informed Rheinmetall that civilian electrical substance pumps with a accumulation day of July 2020, manufactured for the automotive spare parts market, had reached Russia, the institution told Euronews.

"This was not a transportation by Rheinmetall, and we person nary cognition of the export to Russia oregon of the exporter. We learned of the usage successful transportation with drones from the authorities," Rheinmetall said.

Rheinmetall had supported them to the champion of their quality successful clarifying the facts of the matter, the connection said.

"For our automotive customers, we person implemented recommended procedures to forestall circumvention of the sanctions wherever possible. In bid not to jeopardise their effectiveness, we refrain from disclosing further details," Rheinmetall said.

This supports the presumption that German components are being resold to Russia via 3rd countries, wherever they are removed from finished products and past installed successful drones.

Sanctions adept Dr Viktor Winkler told Deutsche Welle that deliveries are progressively being organised straight done fraudulent ammunition companies wrong Germany. These firms bargain goods from manufacturers and export them illegally to Russia successful breach of sanctions.

Overall, helium considers specified shipments of subject components from Germany to Russia to beryllium legally serious, but isolated cases - particularly erstwhile compared with different forms of sanctions evasion that are connected a acold larger scale, specified arsenic commercialized successful luxury oregon user goods.

B4Ukraine calls for sanctions reform

Despite extended EU sanctions against Moscow, technological components that tin beryllium utilized successful the arms manufacture are inactive making their mode from the 27-member bloc to Russia.

According to the War & Sanctions website, astir foreign-made components successful Russian subject instrumentality travel from the United States and China.

The investigation shows that these components scope Russia via a web of intermediaries and trading companies.

The survey besides suggests that the EU's existent sanctions authorities often targets idiosyncratic companies, portion broader trading networks - including illicit firms and distributors - stay beyond the scope of sanctions. This enables export controls to beryllium circumvented and allows the continued proviso of technologies that bolster Russia's military-industrial complex.

The organisation B4Ukraine criticised structural weaknesses successful EU sanctions and export power instrumentality successful a report. These see precocious evidentiary thresholds for proving cognition of extremity usage and comparatively constricted owed diligence obligations for companies.

As a result, European firms whitethorn successful immoderate cases deficiency capable cognition of the existent subject extremity usage of the goods they export - thing 2 of the companies surveyed confirmed to Euronews.

In idiosyncratic cases examined, export-controlled machinery was declared arsenic non-controlled via intermediaries successful 3rd countries specified arsenic Turkey and past forwarded to Russia, successful immoderate instances adjacent to companies linked to the archetypal EU exporter, B4Ukraine reports.

B4Ukraine is calling for reforms of EU export power instrumentality to marque sanctions against Russia easier to enforce and to amended the transgression prosecution of violations.

It proposes lowering the cognition threshold that triggers an export licence requirement. In future, checks should beryllium mandatory not lone erstwhile an exporter is definite that goods volition beryllium utilized for subject purposes, but erstwhile determination is suspicion oregon tenable origin for concern.

Second, the organisation is calling for mandatory owed diligence obligations for exporters. Companies should beryllium required to transportation retired standardised checks for delicate goods, get circumstantial documentation from customers and heed defined informing signs. If these cannot beryllium dispelled, a work to notify the authorities oregon question authorisation should automatically beryllium triggered - a process Bosch has already described to Euronews.

Third, the scope of these obligations should beryllium extended to strategically important industries specified arsenic mechanical engineering and components for subject production. This would guarantee that suspicious deliveries successful these sectors are taxable to systematically tighter scrutiny.

Overall, the connection aims to align EU rules with stricter planetary standards and adjacent loopholes, arsenic European exertion exports proceed to beryllium viewed arsenic a imaginable information hazard to Russia's defence industry.

The investigation shows that contempt extended EU sanctions, Western - including German - high-tech components are inactive ending up successful Russian weapons systems. Research indicates that galore of these parts originate from complex, hard-to-monitor proviso chains and are channelled via intermediaries, 3rd countries or, successful immoderate cases, dedicated circumvention structures. Dual-use goods that tin beryllium employed for some civilian and subject purposes are peculiarly affected.

At the aforesaid time, it is wide that the existing strategy of sanctions and export controls is reaching its limits successful practice. Investigations often effect successful nary transgression consequences, portion precocious ineligible thresholds and constricted due-diligence obligations neglect to clasp companies sufficiently accountable.

Experts and organisations specified arsenic B4Ukraine truthful spot structural weaknesses successful EU instrumentality that facilitate deliberate circumvention.

Against this backdrop, reforms are being demanded that would see little suspicion thresholds, mandatory checking and documentation requirements and tighter oversight of peculiarly delicate concern sectors. The purpose is to summation the effectiveness of sanctions and to amended forestall the unwanted subject usage of European technologies successful future.