Electronic components from Irish companies are being shipped to Russia in vast quantities where they are often fitted to “kamikaze drones” for use against civilian targets in Ukraine, an Irish Times investigation has found.
This is despite EU export bans introduced following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, designed to shut off the supply of such technology to Russia.
In a 15-month period, beginning in January 2024, just under 10 tonnes of components from Irish companies reached Russia. All but 4 per cent consisted of components subject to EU export bans, an analysis of trade data shows.
[ Full investigation: How Irish electronic components are ending up in…