Police eliminate channel for supplying Shahed microchips from EU to Russia
Photo: Police dismantle channel for supplying Shahed microchips from EU to Russia (Getty Images)
The press service of the National Police of Ukraine reports that they have eliminated the channel of Shahed components supply from the European Union to Russia as part of an international operation.
The press service of the National Police of Ukraine reports that they have eliminated the channel of Shahed components supply from the European Union to Russia as part of an international operation.
During the investigation, two serviceable Shaheds were recovered, which the Russians used to strike Ukraine. These are Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6.
"They were disassembled into components and, with the assistance of the Department of International Police Cooperation of the National Police of Ukraine, a number of manufacturers of high-tech products (control units and microcircuits) from the European Union and the United States were identified, whose products were supplied to Russia for the production of attack drones in violation of the established sanctions and restrictions," the press service writes.
All the information gathered was transferred to Europol and sent to the competent law enforcement agencies of the EU. The Financial Crimes Investigation Service of the Dutch Ministry of Finance was the first to respond to the request. The international operation Drake was launched.
During the operation, evidence was gathered against a Russian businessman residing in the Netherlands. Over the past seven months, he has been supplying microcircuits to Russia for the needs of the Armed Forces and the defense sector of the terrorist country, circumventing sanctions.
"In order to disguise his illegal activities, the offender used fictitious companies registered in the Maldives. Based on the evidence collected in the framework of the international operation Drake, the court of Rotterdam sentenced the defendant to a year and a half in prison and a €200,000 fine," the press service adds.
Cooperation between Iran and Russia
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation has enlisted Iran's help in supplying Shahed-type kamikaze drones. The enemy regularly uses the aforementioned UAVs to attack Ukraine's military and civilian infrastructure. Numerous sanctions have been imposed on Tehran due to their assistance to the Kremlin.
In particular, in June, the coordinator of the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, John Kirby, said that Iran was actively involved in the construction of a Shahed plant in Russia.
