Ukrainians are being killed by U.S. engineers with Russian weapons, experts tell senators

Experts told senators at a committee hearing Tuesday that parts of advanced weapons of American origin are being recovered from Russian bombs, drones, vehicles and munitions.

These components, which James Byrne, Director of Open Source Intelligence and Analysis (OSIA) at the Royal Military Institute (RUSI), calls the “brains” of advanced weapons, are bypassing export controls and killing Ukrainians.

Damian Spreters, deputy director of operations for Conflict Arms Research (CAR), told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee that both the United States and its allies are failing to monitor and control the export of special weapons components. He said that this makes it possible for hostile nations to attack.

“What is commonly known today was unimaginable two years ago. Weapons from Russia, Iran and North Korea bear the markings of the United States and European countries,” Spreters said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, organized the hearing after visiting Ukraine with Senate leaders last week. Blumenthal said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy provided visiting senators with a folder detailing 211 high-tech products made in the United States that were used to kill Ukrainians on the battlefield.

“The folder he handed me was a powerful indictment of our country’s export control system,” he said. He is “appalled that American innovation is supporting Russian belligerence,” he said.

Byrne said battlefield analysts have found that Western components, particularly those made in the United States, make up the bulk of the weapons “across a wide range of platforms.” These components are “something Russia cannot easily replace, and modern technology platforms cannot function without,” Byrne said.

Early in the war, U.S. parts recovered from Russian weapons were dated to 2022, suggesting Russia was stockpiling parts in anticipation of an invasion. RUSI has now found more recent ones on the battlefield, Byrne said.

Elina Rybakova, vice-rector for foreign policy at Kyiv Economic University, said that 95% of Russian weapons with these specialized components come from the United States and its allies.

But Rybakova said in an editorial that despite the initial blow from sanctions on the military complex, access to key Russian weapons components had been restored.

Witnesses agreed that dependence on Russia gives Western countries an opportunity to significantly weaken their battlefield capabilities by tightening export controls.

A recent report from the Kyiv School of Economics found that major U.S. companies such as Intel, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, and IBM “continue to trade with Russia through third-country intermediaries.” Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was also named at the hearing.

Byrne said Intel and Nvidia, which are also named in the report, have contacted RUSI. According to Rybakova and Byrne, Analog Devices, AMD and Texas Instruments have so far had no contact with the Kyiv School of Economics, even though their products were found to be used in the assembly of Russian weapons. He has not had any contact with RUSI, and has “almost” no contact with RUSI.

Witnesses called for tougher penalties for U.S. companies whose products end up in the hands of the Russian military, stronger record-keeping at the point of sale, stricter enforcement of trade regulations along transportation routes, and potential buyers. recommended that government resources be used to scrutinize the issue.

The United States has “historically been good” at preventing and punishing abuses of export controls, but “we have let the gas off the gas,” Byrne said. “We need to step on the gas again and go after them.”