Components manufactured by Japanese companies are found in approximately 90% of Russian cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as in UAVs. This was reported by Vladyslav Vlasyuk, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Sanctions Policy, in a comment to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News.
According to him, most of the parts found are electronic components that were sold in Japan for civilian use. Kyodo News suggests that Russia is using general-purpose goods, the export of which is difficult to fully control.
“According to internal Ukrainian government documents disclosed to Kyodo News by Mr. Vlasyuk, the Russian military’s Kh-101 cruise missiles use electronic components from leading Japanese semiconductor companies and other large electronics manufacturers,” says the Kyodo News article.
Journalists contacted 13 Japanese companies whose components were found in Russian missiles and drones. Five manufacturers said they could not confirm the origin of the components due to limited information. One company suggested that its product could have been repurposed, another reported that the found component belongs to another manufacturer. Six companies did not respond to requests.
Separately, Ukraine examined the fragments of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, which Russia used to attack the Lviv region in January 2026. Some of the components for it were manufactured in 2014–2016. The data obtained can be used to strengthen control over the supply of dual-use goods.
