The Russian drones attacking Ukraine contain German electronics. What parts are these and how do these components reach Russia despite sanctions?
Why do the Russian drones with which Moscow attacks cities in Ukraine daily contain electronic components from German manufacturers? Last month, German media raised this question again. The reason was the latest Russian combat drone, the "Geran-5". A DW investigation found that the problem is not new at all.
Even before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine 4 years ago, there was information that components made in Germany were being installed in Russian combat drones. This is, for example, the case of an engine manufactured by the German company 3W Modellmotoren, installed on a Russian reconnaissance drone in Donbas, which the public media ARD reported on back in 2017. The company then stated that the part had been sold to a Czech partner in 2013 and had no idea how it had ended up in Russia.
At the end of January 2025, first the television channel n-tv, and then other German media outlets, wrote that transistors from the German company Infineon Technologies had been found in the "Geran-5", among other foreign components.
According to the War&Sanctions portal of the Ukrainian military intelligence, most foreign components found in Russian military equipment are American and Chinese-made. The "Made in Germany" category on the site lists 137 parts, more than half of which were found in unmanned aerial vehicles. The rest - in missiles, radar stations, military vehicles and even helicopters.
Hundreds of thousands of German transistors in Russian drones
Of the 137 components made in Germany in question, the largest number - 58 in number - are from the Bavarian company Infineon Technologies. The rest are from other German manufacturers - TDK Electronics, Würth Elektronik, Bosch and Pierburg, which is a subsidiary of the Rheinmetall concern.
In addition to transistors, which are most often found in Russian military equipment, there are also pumps, inductors, generators, capacitors, transformers and batteries made in Germany. Most of the German transistors were found in the Russian army's unmanned aerial vehicles.
In August 2025, the representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence Vadim Skibitsky announced in an interview with the Ukrainian television channel "Suspilne" that in one year Russia plans to produce 40,000 "Geran-2" drones. The on-board control system of each of them uses from 8 to 12 transistors. This means that to produce such a quantity of unmanned aerial vehicles, Russia will need almost half a million transistors from Germany.
Ukrainian intelligence: Russia appreciates German quality
In an interview with DW, Skibitsky explained that recently Russia has been striving to reduce its dependence on Western components in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles. "If in 2023 the share of American components in some versions of the "Shahed-136" drones reached 80%, now up to 60% of the components are of Chinese origin."
As the representative of Ukrainian military intelligence noted, Russian manufacturers are in no hurry to replace German parts with lower-quality analogues from China: "Infineon transistors are used in many models of household appliances and general-purpose goods, so apparently there is no problem with their purchase in the required quantities."
As DW found out, such transistors can be ordered without any problems on the Internet, including through the eBay platform. The price is $ 29.90 for five pieces.
Ukrainian military intelligence believes that in most cases, transistors manufactured in Germany for Russia are purchased directly from Germany - through fictitious companies in order to hide the real supply chain. They then enter Russia either through third parties loyal to the Kremlin or through smuggling.
Lawyer: Imported parts do not come through third parties, but directly
Professor Viktor Winkler, one of Germany's most prominent experts on the topic of sanctions, confirmed to DW that supplies of military components from Germany to Russia after 2022 will increasingly be made through third countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, China and the countries of Central Asia. Increasingly, such supplies are made directly through fictitious companies in Germany that buy electrical components from manufacturers and illegally supply them to Russia, circumventing sanctions.
Prof. Winkler assesses the supply of military components from Germany to Russia as a significant issue from a legal point of view, but adds that other supplies are a much more widespread phenomenon – such as the sale of a number of consumer goods, including quite a few luxury ones.
Manufacturers from Germany: supplies to Russia are difficult to control
DW sent inquiries to all the German manufacturers mentioned. Infineon replied that they had stopped all supplies to Russia from 2022 and were complying with the sanctions, but "it is difficult to control the resale of the product throughout its entire life cycle, since Infineon produces around 30 billion chips a year". The company assured that it would stop trading with partners if they supplied its products to Russia, and would cooperate with state authorities in investigating such cases.
Rheinmetall also replied to DW that it did not trade with Russia and was complying with the sanctions. Regarding the Pierburg pumps in the "Geran-2" drones, they stated that in January 2024 they were informed by the German customs authorities that civilian electric fuel pumps manufactured in July 2020 for the automotive spare parts market had reached Russia. However, in this case, it was not a matter of a supply from Rheinmetall.
Würth Elektronik also assured DW that they had suspended trade with Russia in 2022. "All deliveries abroad undergo strict export control, our components are not developed for military purposes and are not allowed for use in the military sphere. We have included in the contracts a ban on our partners outside the EU from reselling the goods we supply in Russia or for use in Russia, we explicitly point this out to our customers," the company said in a statement. They suggested that Russia could be using "remains in warehouses delivered before the sanctions were imposed".
Bosch: These are fakes
Bosch told DW that they had suspended all deliveries to Russia and "ordered all of their divisions and employees worldwide not to trade with Russia or Belarus". In connection with the specific case of fuel pumps discovered in Russian "Geran-3" drones, the company suggests that these are fakes, which are often found on the market.
As for another product of the German manufacturer found in Russian drones - a push-button switch - Bosch acknowledges the existence of parallel imports, which "usually take place without the knowledge of the manufacturer and from countries that have not imposed sanctions against Russia."
By the time this article was published, TDK Electronics had not responded to DW's inquiry.