According to reports, an evaluation document of the Ukrainian intelligence service showed that among a drone used by the Russian army that they shot down last autumn, there were more than a dozen parts made by American and Western companies, and this drone was made by Iran.

The drone removed 52 parts.

More than half of the people are suspected to be from America.

The British investigation agency "Conflict Equipment Research Institute" conducted a separate investigation on drones shot down in Ukraine and found that nearly 80% of its components were made by American companies. According to the assessment, 40 of the 52 components removed from the UAV named "Witness-136" seem to come from 13 American company. Among them, 20 components such as microcontroller and digital signal controller are from Texas Instruments. The GPS module comes from Hemisphere Navigation Company; There are also parts from American International Rectifier Company. The remaining 12 components are manufactured by companies in Canada, Switzerland and other countries or regions.

Parts with the Texas Instruments logo were found on the drone.

It is reported that the United States has previously imposed strict export control measures on Iran to prevent Iran from obtaining high-end materials. The White House government also set up a working group to investigate how American and Western manufacturing technologies, from smaller equipment such as semiconductors to larger equipment such as engines, appeared on Iranian drones. The report pointed out that US officials are now considering strengthening the enforcement of sanctions so that manufacturing enterprises can better monitor their supply chains, especially dealers who take products and sell them. Adrianna Watson, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement that he is now studying how to crack down on Iranian drone production through sanctions and export controls. In a statement, it said that it would negotiate with enterprises involved in Iranian drone parts and evaluate further measures that can be taken in export control to limit Iran's drone production technology.

It is reported that despite sanctions, Iran is still seeking technology. A former US Department of Defense official said that Russian and Iranian officials can easily evade sanctions by setting up shell companies to buy equipment, and it may take years for western governments to discover these shell companies. Former Pentagon official Gregory Allen described it as a "whack-a-mole game". He explained that the microelectronics industry relies heavily on third-party distributors or distributors, which are usually difficult to find. "These parts are small in size, light in weight and easy to hide."

The scene after Kiev was attacked by a drone launched by Russia.

Related companies: it is difficult to control the whereabouts of products.

Expert: To strengthen the enforcement of sanctions, we need to invest more manpower and money.

According to the report, there is no evidence that any company violates the US sanctions law and deliberately exports its technology for drone production. Texas Instruments said in a statement that it has never sold products to Russia, Belarus and Iran. "We have always strictly abided by relevant national laws and regulations. If necessary, the company will cooperate with relevant law enforcement agencies or organizations. " Infineon spokesman Gregor Rodhus also said in a statement that the company's position is very clear and will require dealers to sell products in compliance with regulations. But he added: "It turns out that it is difficult for us to completely control the whereabouts of products."

The report also pointed out that even if many companies promise to increase the monitoring of the products they produce, it is difficult for manufacturers to fully grasp the whereabouts of these products. According to the report, it is difficult for manufacturers to know who is illegally buying and selling related products if the US government does not catch and punish those specific people who illegally buy and sell related products.

Damian Spretes, deputy director of the Institute of Conflict Equipment, pointed out that sanctions will only be effective if the US government continues to monitor which parts are used. However, some experts pointed out that if the US government wants to strengthen the enforcement of sanctions, it needs to invest more manpower and money costs, such as hiring more employees to monitor the whereabouts of these products in real time. Allen also pointed out that, in reality, no one has considered investing more in institutions such as the US Bureau of Industry and Security, which look like "the sleeping part of the national security agencies".

In addition, it is reported that Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied that Iran provided Russia with drones to fight Ukraine.

Red Star Journalist Li Editor Yang Cheng

Extended reading

The American media calculated a "victory" account: the cost of using missiles in Ukraine may be seven times that of Russian drones.

Russian-Ukrainian UAV, you sing and I will bomb. The Ukrainian army seriously injured the Russian army through a wave of shelling in the New Year. Ukraine claimed that the attack killed 400 Russian soldiers and suffered a "black gate" in the New Year. Russian troops bombed Haima Temple in retaliation.

The situation is tense again.

However, in this context, the Ukrainian Air Force is delighted to say that it has become more and more skilled in shooting down Russian drones sent to Ukraine, and about 80 drones were shot down in the New Year. A spokesman for the Ukrainian air defense force declared, "This is an achievement that has never been realized."

Victory?

However, The New York Times saw a clue from this "victory": the cost of shooting down Ukrainian missiles may be seven times that of Russian drones.

Although Ukraine has shown more and more skillful skills in shooting down Russian drones, in fact, these drones appearing over Ukraine are not particularly sophisticated and high-end drones. They have a series of low-end problems such as slow movements and noisy voices. They are relatively easy to shoot down, but relatively cheap. According to relevant data analysis, the production cost of this drone may be as low as $20,000.

This is Russia's balanced deployment against Ukraine's weak air defense and its own sustainable operations.

Although Ukraine won, the cost of shooting down these drones is much more expensive than that of Russian drones. Whether it is the old Soviet-made S-300 air defense missile or the "national advanced surface-to-air missile system" aided by the West, every time Ukraine launches a surface-to-air missile, it will cost US$ 654.38+US$ 0.4 million to US$ 500,000. Even the Patriot air defense system aided by the United States faces such a consumption problem.

There has been such a big cost imbalance. As the West tries to prolong the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it may make Ukraine and its allies pay a heavy price.

Is this a victory? How long can such a "victory" last? Who will pay for it?

Support?

At the beginning of the new year, countries that are tired of helping Ukraine cheer up a little and once again say that they will continue to help Ukraine. The Secretary-General of NATO publicly shouted to member States that only by providing Ukraine with more armaments will peace come at an early date.

Long Guan Wu He Ze Lenski

Macron held talks with Zelensky for about an hour. Macron promised that France would spare no effort to provide military assistance to Ukraine until its victory, and promised to provide Ukraine with light tanks.

The activists who helped Ukraine, Britain and Prime Minister Sunak, promised to support Ukraine for a long time even though they were too busy to take care of themselves.

Germany announced the production of RCH- 155 howitzer for Ukraine as aid and support. However, Poland, which is also a pioneer in aiding Ukraine, turned the corner and demanded that Germany pay 9.5 trillion yuan in World War II compensation on its own, which made Germany, which had already lost too much blood in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, gnash its teeth.

The Netherlands, Canada and other countries expressed their support to varying degrees, but it also means that although they did not participate in the conflict, these countries are also bearing the burden and harm brought by the war.

For Ukraine, the conflict is not maintained by Ukraine itself, and all strategic consumption is also supported by the West, but the winner is Ukraine, so the cost performance is not important to Ukraine, and it is more important to maintain a winning posture.

But for other western countries, this is undoubtedly a high cost that makes people feel tired and bored. Glory has not been consumed by too many practical interests, and the interests all come from the United States. Maintaining the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will inevitably tear the contradiction between the United States and other western countries, but the United States, which is eager to use the conflict to consume others to revive itself, does not want to worry so much.