Numerous recent reports have revealed the Russian army’s reliance on critical Western components to power its war on Ukraine. Moscow’s forces depend on Western-made inputs for the construction and maintenance of their drones, cruise missiles, communications systems, and electronic warfare complexes. Many of these components originate in countries supporting Ukraine militarily, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, and Taiwan.

In early March 2023, a joint International Partnership for Human Rights-Independent Anti-Corruption Commission report found multiple weapons used in suspected Russian war crimes in Ukraine were reliant upon dual-use and Western components. Despite multiple rounds of sanctions implemented against Russia and Russian entities, Moscow continues to circumvent sanctions and export bans to import Western components essential to the Kremlin’s war machine.

In this event hosted by the Atlantic Council, experts from Heartland, the Royal United Services Institute, University of Pennsylvania, and Ukrainian Independent Anti-Corruption Commission discussed how vital are Western components for the Russian military, what can Western governments and companies do to more effectively prevent dual-use technology exports to Russia, and how can the West make it more difficult for Moscow and its partners to circumvent sanctions.