The National Police of Ukraine eliminated the channel through which Russian components for "kamikaze" drones were supplied from the European Union.
During the investigation, the police received in good condition two drones that the Russians use for shelling Ukraine — Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6. They were divided into components and installed by manufacturers of high-tech products, control units and microcircuits from the European Union and the USA. Their products, despite the sanctions, went to Russia for the production of strike drones.
Ukraine passed this information on to law enforcement officers in the EU. The Netherlands was the first to respond to this and launched the international operation "Drake". During the operation, evidence was collected about a Russian businessman who lives permanently in the Netherlands and has been supplying the Russian Federation with microcircuits for the needs of the army for the past seven months, bypassing sanctions.
In order to mask his activities, the man used fictitious companies registered in the Maldives. The court of the city of Rotterdam has already issued a sentence — one and a half years of imprisonment and a fine of €200,000.
- Back in November 2022, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine reported that almost all of Shahedʼs details were foreign: from the USA, China, Germany and Japan. This became known after studying the structure of the drone. They even found a Ukrainian part in it — an electric relay produced by the Kharkiv Radiorele plant.
- Now in Russia, work is underway on the construction of a factory for the production of drones. It will be in the special economic zone "Alabuga". The plant may start operating at the beginning of 2024. The British newspaper The Guardian, referring to the Ukrainian report, which was handed over to the G7 countries, wrote that Kyiv allegedly suggested to the allies to attack the production of these kamikaze drones in Syria, Iran and the Russian economic zone "Alabuga".