The Ukrainian military seized Russian weapons and military equipment containing microchips from the US, according to a report by The War Zone, citing Ukraine intelligence.
Eight of the US-made microchips were found inside a recovered Russian air defense command post vehicle, reportedly part of the Barnaul-T system.
The chips were said to be manufactured by American technology firms Intel, Micrel, Micron Technology, and Atmel Corp.
Additionally, Ukrainian specialists uncovered five US microchips from AMD, Rochester Electronics, Texas Instruments, and Linear Technology in the Pantsir air defense system.
#Ukraine: The Russian forces lost another Pantsir-S1 AD system in the vicinity of #Mykolaiv Oblast. It seems to be in very good condition. pic.twitter.com/WjDv7EW3Lm
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 7, 2022
The discovery of US-made chips in Russian weapons provided “more detailed” information about where Moscow is getting critical components for its weapon systems.
The US has been vocal about the “special military operation” launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukrainian territory. Washington has donated billions of dollars in military equipment to help Ukraine fight off the invasion.
Other Discoveries
The Ukrainian military examined a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile and found at least 35 US-made microchips inside.
It also opened a turreted electro-optical system of the Ka-52 Alligator, which contains 22 chips manufactured by Texas Instruments, Altera USA, and Micron Technology.
According to military analyst Skip Parish, finding US-made microchips in Russian equipment highlights the country’s “total dependence on western technology.”
Most of the companies that manufactured microchips found in Russian weapons said that they no longer do business with Moscow, while others disputed the Ukraine intelligence findings.
Apart from microchips, it was reported that Russia is using high-powered weapons supplied by France, Germany, and other European Union nations in invading Ukraine.
At least 10 EU member states allegedly supplied 346 million euros ($371 million) in military equipment to Moscow amid a ban on engine and weapons deliveries due to the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The Ukrainian military claims that the guidance systems and electronics recovered from Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles used in Ukraine were developed in the 1960-1970s. https://t.co/XF0lEM3jdH pic.twitter.com/4XTaWCO0WS
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 22, 2022
