Internal Emails Reveal Russian Reaction to U.S. Squeezing Supply of Microchips for Missiles

Leaked emails and internal documents from Ruselectronics subsidiaries, supported by trade and tax data and a 2024 U.S. Senate investigation, reveal how Russian defense firms have bypassed sanctions to source U.S.-made microchips through complex networks of intermediaries in China and Hong Kong. The report cites firms such as Elitcom, Icscan Electronic, and Elsup, and highlights inadequate end-user controls by U.S. manufacturers and distributors that enable “illicit diversion,” underscoring calls for stronger tracking and punitive enforcement.