Through intermediaries: the Russian Federation purchases American chips needed to guide rockets - investigation

Despite sanctions, unique chips continue to be imported in the Russian Federation, indispensable for navigating rockets and drones, filtration of content on the Internet and face recognition. In rockets, drones and military aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities, find circuits produced by American Intel and AMD companies. Among them are chips, which are in international documents as dual -use goods.

This means that they can be used or even most commonly used in military technology and technologies or technologies for tracking. Such semiconductor devices are called Pliz (programmable logical integrated circuits). Officially, their exports to Russia were banned in 2020. In 2022, a wider embargo was introduced to export a chip to Russia, regardless of who and why he will receive them. But they still get to the Russian Federation. As it happens, the Insider found out.

In the navigation system of the X-101 missile, which Russia launched in the Children's Hospital "Okhmatdit" in Kiev in July 2024, used integrated Xilinx (AMD manufacturer). Similar but more advanced circuits are also available in Lancet UAV. Xilinx and Altera crystals (Intel manufacturer) are used in the navigation of "Iskander" and "Calibers". The pleats used in military technologies continue to be imported into Russia, despite all sorts of sanctions, trade embargoes and restrictions.

Back in 2020, the US Ministry of Commerce increased control over exports to Russia, China and Venezuela. Flaw with productivity higher than a certain (not very high) threshold, was included in the lists of dual -use goods, for which exports to Russia for military purposes began to require mandatory licenses (and the default in their issuance was refused). In this way, the pleats were actually forbidden to supply buyers related to the military industry or "military end users".

These restrictions were to be deprived of weapons and technologies for tracking in Russia (as well as in China and Venezuela) access to US developments. At the same time, suppliers are obliged, under US law, to control who is the end user of their circuits and to prevent them from reuse by companies that produce military equipment or equipment for tracking.

For this purpose, the procedure of KNow Your Customer was envisaged-checking the buyers with special commissions of manufacturers to ensure that the pleats would not get to Russia for military use. Even the manufacturers of mass market for encryption devices have lost access to the Plis-made AMD and Intel. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Intel and AMD announced a departure from Russia.

In the same year, an additional trade embargo on the supply from the United States to Russia was introduced, which covered, in particular, the chip. Unlike bans of double -use goods, this embargo does not depend on either the final user or the final purpose of use. Supply of pleats in the Russian Federation is prohibited. However, the supplies of the chips continued. Since 2022, at least $ 216 million has been received in Russia under the brand of Xilinx, and Altera by 120 million.

Judging by the customs data, AMD and Intel have closed their eyes to export to Russia by Xilinx and Altera chips, which are not used. The chips were shipped through intermediary companies. Programmed logic devices are not military technology. Plis (English FPGA) is needed where productivity is important rather than mass. FPGA sales are growing around the world. They are used, among other things, in the date centers, for "artificial intelligence" technologies and telecommunications.

In Russia, such devices are practically not produced. Micron plant, has only two Plis models in the range. Its competitor, the "Voronezh plant of semiconductor devices", produces three models of such chips. The stated characteristics are approximately corresponding to the simplest pleats of their major competitors - Xilinx and Altera. It was Xilinx who was an absolute leader in the Russian market.

The Russian military and space industry requires powerful pleins, so businesses buy US products, despite all the restrictions and rules of export control - even in 2024. Purchases are made by ordinary junction companies. Plis is used not only in rockets and drones. They are also used in military radar technologies, in hardware complexes for encryption and protection of "continent" and "Sobol" produced by the company "Security Code".

Subsequently, such complexes are used, for example, in the technologies of Internet filtration. Other promising use of pleats is a video surveillance system with a facial recognition function. They use the most advanced Xilinx Xilinx chips Ultrascale+. The sale of complex and expensive chips was told in a foreign company, in no way related to either Russia or military technologies. For equipment, she needed high -yielding Altera fles worth $ 4,000 apiece.

Every time the company was purchased, they were leaving a commission, which conducted a very careful check - the Know Your Customer procedure. The manufacturer also requires the buyer a letter indicating who is the final recipient of the product. And to export goods from the United States requires a special license. Verisers insist that the importation of chips, both an independent unit and together with technology and use of use, is completely forbidden to Russia.

However, chip can get to the Russian Federation if it is installed in any equipment that will not be transferred to the Russian side, such as a laptop. Suppliers of equipment and electronics for the Russian defense have long found out that it is often enough to point out as the final recipient of the firm in the EU or China, and American manufacturers will send the product. This scheme worked until 2022.

Thus, from 2000 to 2014, the Naturalized Emigrant Pavel Flider purchased dual-use electronics companies, including Xilinx Pliz, and sold them to Russia through European "gaskets" companies. In 2015, Flider was detained, and a search was searched in his house in San Francisco. He went to an agreement with the investigation, handed over other participants in the smuggling scheme of the chip and took place. The FBI -opened schemes are usually similar to the one used by the convicted businessman.

Obviously, this is how expensive circuits were found in Russia so that, in particular, to end their journey in rockets flying to the cities of Ukraine. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, legal deliveries went through the exit companies. With the beginning of the war, they got rid of this status. Then foreign manufacturers allegedly stopped business in Russia.

But persons affiliated with former official suppliers - former owners, directors, employees, using the developed relationships in the market, opened new legal entities and let exports through them. Retlelers that trade a wide range of electronic components of different companies are also stating the sale of pleats in Russia. Ayde Solushn was delivered to Russia by significant volumes of top Xilinx (in particular already built -in payment).

It is related to Merusoft, which is engaged in facial recognition technologies. It was still believed that "Aidi Solushn" - a mediator when purchasing Russian companies for drones. Drones are equipped with chips that can cost hundreds, but not tens of thousands of US dollars. "Aidi Solushn", in particular, imported finished boards containing the latest FPGA matrix from Xilinx. The payment was made by the American company Hitech Global.

In February 2023, Aidi Solushn brought the HTG-840 VIRTEX Ultrascale HTG-840 VIRTEX Ultrascale. It is the most productive in the market of generation of programmable logical integrated schemes - Virtex Ultrascale+, which just published in 2023. There are 8 938 000 logical cells in this chip. For comparison, the XC2V1000TM scheme of the X-101 missile is just 11520 cells. "Aidi Solushn" and another Macro Group company were the official distributors of Hitech Global in Russia.

Most often it is Uzbekistan. This is due to the complication of traditional supply chains through China. Industrial representatives say that a transit or re -export of dual -use goods (or embargo goods) made in Europe or the US, or the export of such goods made by European or American technologies from China, is facing obstacles.

Tells about a Russian businessman who wanted to buy Arria 10 (price from hundred to thousand US dollars per chip); The seller with AliExpress answered him directly: "We can only be black. " According to market experts, such goods are taken "in TVs or microwaves", using grandfather methods of smuggling. Another businessman who tried to buy goods in China for one large Russian state corporation, the Chinese suggested that the order personally arrive and bring the money "in suitcases".

The Insider tried to contact the manufacturer and the official exporter to Uzbekistan boards, which the Xilinx pleats is built in Hitech Global. At the time of publishing this material, the answer was not received. One of the great exporters of Poles to Russia (and an important partner of the former AMD distributor - Inline Group), Hong Kong firm Arcbase Electronics acknowledged that it continues to supply Xilinx products to Russia.

The company also noted that Dmitry Pushkin is still working with her. In response to a request, AMD reported: "AMD suspended all sales and technical support of AMD and Xilinx products in Russia and in all sub -regions immediately after invasion of Ukraine. We strive to fully comply with all US and international export rules and have a clear policy that requires a require From our distributors and customers to do the same.