British investigative group Conflict Armament Research (CAR) publishes findings on its website suggesting that the Russian version of the Iranian suicide drone known as the Shahed is primarily assembled from components manufactured outside Russia. This fact raises questions about the effectiveness of export control on the goods to Russia.
The debris of two Geran-2 drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine was painstakingly examined by CAR in July. The committee concluded that Russia began developing its version of the Shahed-136 drones approximately a year after the first use of Iranian Shahed drones in Ukraine. This conclusion was reached based on the drones’ structural features and critical components.
According to CAR, this demonstrates a substantial change in Russia’s capabilities and enables the country to continue relying on expendable drones as its primary weapon system. CAR’s study showed various components in the Geran-2 drones produced after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This raises critical issues regarding export control and diversion prevention in Europe and the United States.
CAR underlines that the Russian-produced Geran-2 drones are composed virtually entirely of components manufactured outside Russia. The team located over one hundred parts bearing the brand names of twenty-two companies based in seven countries, including Russia. Most of these companies have headquarters in China, Switzerland, or the United States.
Approximately one-third of the components were made between 2020 and 2023, with some being manufactured after the Ukraine conflict had begun. All three Russian components were manufactured between January and March of 2023.
