Western components found in Russian weapons: Zelensky
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Zelensky reveals over 100,000 foreign-made components in Russian drones and missiles used in a deadly Ukraine attack, urging tougher sanctions.
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A Russian Grad self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine (AP)
Following a weekend air attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the country had found tens of thousands of foreign components, including Western-made parts, inside the Russian drones and missiles that were fired.
“During the massive combined strike on Ukraine on the night of October 5, Russia used 549 weapon systems containing 102,785 foreign-made components,” the Ukrainian President stated on social media, referring to a Sunday attack.
During that night, Russia launched an assault with almost 500 drones and over 50 missiles at Ukraine, an attack which killed five people, including some in the western Lvov region hundreds of kilometres from the front line, and which damaged the country's energy infrastructure.
Zelensky said that the parts of drones and missiles intercepted in the attack came "from companies in the United States, China and Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands."
After saying that parts originating in allied countries including Germany, Japan, and the US have been identified in Russian weapons, the Ukrainian president called for further "effective" sanctions.
UK responds to Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that British microcomputers were among more than 100,000 foreign-made parts contained in Russian missiles and drones used in Sunday's deadly strikes on Ukraine, prompting the British Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to respond.
The DBT stated that it had recently undertaken efforts to crack down on UK firms whose products have continued to make their way into Russia's military supply chain."We take reports of goods from UK companies being found in Russian weaponry incredibly seriously," a British government spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the government had "banned the export of thousands of goods to Russia, including every battlefield item Ukraine has brought to our attention," while adding that they have imposed "the most severe package of sanctions". Any person or firm that does not comply with sanctions could face large financial penalties or criminal prosecution, they added.
