U.S. and Ukrainian Researchers Call for Further Action to Thwart Illicit Transfers to Russian Drone Facility
Researchers from the United States and Ukraine have highlighted the progress made by Western nations in curbing the illicit transfers of Western electronic components to a Russian facility suspected of manufacturing Iranian-designed attack drones. However, they emphasize that more needs to be done to prevent the transfer of materials needed for the production of these drones. The White House recently released an intelligence finding that Russia was receiving Iranian materials for the construction of an attack drone manufacturing plant in its Alabuga special economic zone. While Russia claims to rely on its own resources for drone attacks, Iran has admitted to supplying drones to Russia in the past. Both Russia and Iran have not responded to inquiries about the Alabuga plant.
U.S. Commerce Department’s Sanctions Show Progress
The researchers point to the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to place 11 Russian companies on its list of entities requiring a license for items subject to export controls as a sign of progress. These companies were associated with the suspected Alabuga drone facility. In December, the Commerce Department expanded the items subject to U.S. export controls to include semiconductors and other drone components used by Russian and Iranian entities on the Entity List. David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, commended the Commerce Department’s actions as a positive step.
Ukrainian Support for U.S. Measures
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, a Ukrainian sanctions researcher serving as an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, also welcomed the U.S. government’s actions. He expressed satisfaction that the U.S. is taking steps to thwart Russian facilities like Alabuga, which have an impact on Russia’s military industry. Vlasiuk emphasized that Ukraine would like to see the United States sanction JSC Alabuga and other companies identified by Kyiv as being involved in Russia’s drone industry.
Calls for Further Sanctions
While progress has been made, both Albright and Vlasiuk believe that more action is necessary. They argue that the U.S. Treasury and State Departments should sanction JSC Alabuga and its associated companies to discourage foreign businesses from engaging with them. They consider such designations as long overdue. However, the U.S. Commerce Department declined to comment on potential deliberations related to sanctioning JSC Alabuga.
European Interest in Disrupting Access to Electronic Components
Albright also highlighted the interest of several European governments in using his institute’s research on the Alabuga plant to disrupt its access to electronic components made by companies headquartered in their territories. The leaked documents obtained by Albright’s institute describe Alabuga’s supply-chain procurement, production capabilities, and plans for manufacturing Russian-branded copies of Iran’s Shahed 136 attack drone. Albright mentioned that Switzerland and the Netherlands have shown interest in the information his institute has to offer.
Western Electronics Makers Urged to Take More Action
Both researchers emphasized the need for Western electronics makers to do more to prevent their parts from ending up in Alabuga’s drones. Albright stated that electronics manufacturers should work with distributors to promote due diligence and ensure they know the end user before making sales of critical items. Vlasiuk expressed Ukraine’s dissatisfaction with finding Western parts in Russian-launched attack drones and called for manufacturers to tighten their compliance and know-your-customer procedures.
Conclusion:
While progress has been made in curbing illicit transfers of Western electronic components to the suspected Russian facility in Alabuga, more action is needed to prevent the transfer of materials for Iranian-designed attack drones. The U.S. Commerce Department’s sanctions on Russian companies associated with Alabuga have been commended, but researchers and Ukrainian officials are calling for further sanctions on JSC Alabuga and associated companies. The interest of European governments in disrupting the facility’s access to electronic components adds to the urgency. Additionally, Western electronics makers must take more responsibility to ensure their parts do not end up in the wrong hands. The prevention of illicit transfers is crucial to maintaining global security and stability.
