Russia imported $1.2bn worth of sanctioned advanced microchips from US and European firms in the first nine months 2023, Bloomberg reported on January 25.

The microchips have been used to make new smart missiles and other essential hardware and were sourced from leading US companies including Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Analog Devices, alongside European counterparts such as Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, and NXP Semiconductors, Bloomberg said drawing on confidential data from the Russian customs service.

There's no indication these corporations breached sanctions by directly exporting technology to Russia, which is believed to run through a daisy-chain of trading intermediatory. As reported by bne IntelliNews, technology sanctions have largely failed. The EU is attempting to beef up its enforcement of sanctions with a thirteenth sanctions package that is expected to be ready by the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Most of the tech imports to Russian are travelling via intermediary nations, including China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, according to reports. Customs records indicate Russia's microchip imports surpassed $1.7bn within the first nine months of 2023 of which the lion’s share were produced by Western companies.

Companies from the US and Europe, identified in the Russian imports, have said they strictly comply with sanctions and affirm they have cut off all commercial relations with Russia.