The Russians arranged the supply of the Western electronics, necessary to manufacture weapons, through Turkey and Hong Kong.

A joint investigation by Reuters and the British analytical center Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reports this.

The investigators discovered that at least $2.6 billion worth of electronic components flowed into Russia within the seven months until Oct. 31, Russian customs records show. At least $777 million of these products were produced by Western firms.

The imported goods included computer chips from U.S. companies Intel Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), Texas Instruments Inc, Analog Devices Inc., and Germany’s Infineon AG.

Components manufactured by these companies were found in Russian weapons systems.

To carry out deliveries, Russia has set up companies in Turkey and Hong Kong, as well as other trade centers of the world.

In addition, one Russian importer, Fortap LLC, based in St. Petersburg, was set up by a Russian businessman in April and has since imported at least $138 million worth of electronics, including U.S. computer parts.

This information is indicated in the documents of the Russian customs records. They show that one of Fortap’s biggest suppliers is a Turkish company, Bion Group Ltd Sti, a former textile trader that recently expanded into wholesale electronics. Bion’s general manager declined to comment.

Another Russian importer, Titan-Micro LLC, is registered at an address that turned out to be a house in a forest on the northern edge of Moscow. The company has also been importing Western computer components since the invasion.

Some of the suppliers – including companies in Hong Kong and Turkey – have ties to Russian nationals, according to a review of company filings.

Investigators stress that the documents they obtained from the three commercial providers don’t identify the specific type of semiconductors and other electronic products. In addition, it is not recorded what exactly happened to these components once they arrived in Russia.

Information about the presence of chips from Western companies in Russian weapons was previously released.

A representative of the U.S. Department of Commerce told reporters that Russia’s access to semiconductors from all sources has been slashed by nearly 70 percent thanks to the imposed restrictions.

“Since the start of the invasion, Russia’s access to semiconductors from all sources has been slashed by nearly 70 percent thanks to the actions of the unprecedented 38-nation coalition that has come together to respond to Putin’s aggression. It is no surprise that Russia is working hard to circumvent controls,” said the Department of Commerce official.

At the same time, the investigation emphasizes that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the declared value of semiconductor imports by Russia has, in fact, risen sharply.

The spokesperson shared that the Department of Commerce had analyzed different data and therefore couldn’t comment on the Reuters findings.