US-Based Texas Instruments Whose Electronics is Found in Russian Weaponry Has Not Withdrawn from the Russian Market

Despite the only comment made to the British Reuters, Texas Instruments has not made any formal statements about its withdrawal from the Russian market since the beginning of the full-scale invasion until today.

Since 2014, EU and US authorities have banned exports of double-use goods which can be used in military equipment. Despite these restrictions, many Western companies have found alternative ways to trade with the large Russian sales market. Some have deliberately ignored such sanctions and continued their cooperation with the aggressor, helping it prepare for the large-scale invasion into Ukraine.

Following February 24, the banned chips and electronics made in Europe and the United States have been often found in the weaponry with the help of which Russia has been terrorizing Ukraine for 8 months. Some of these foreign parts were produced decades ago, though far from all. Foreign accessories were found also in the modern equipment, in particular in military drones.   

Processors made by the US-based Texas Instruments have been found in the Iranian Shaged-13 Kamikaze drones. It is stated in the report published by the Department of Strategic Communications at the Apparatus of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forced of Ukraine.

Previously, a similar research was also conducted at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. The British report meticulously describes 318 components from 57 American companies, the most of which were made by Analog Devices and Texas Instruments.

Analog Devices announced its withdrawal from the Russian market at the beginning of March whereas Taxes Instruments continues being neutral until today. Its official web site still indicates an address of its Moscow office and current Russian telephone number.

The same London report describes 50 unique components made by Texas Instruments in several types of Russian weaponry. In particular, it is about digital signal processors in the Russian cruise Iskander missiles, transceivers CAN found in an electronic detonator of a kamikaze UAV, power management module in Orlan-10 UAV, as well as audio codecs and convertors in several radio stations used by the Russian Army.

The company Texas Instruments has been working in the Russian market for at least 20 years. A distribution agreement was concluded back in 2001. However, while Ukraine was pleading to the world for sanctions, the US company continued its cooperation with the terrorist state. It kept on signing documents and conducting seminars.

Following the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the Reuters information agency, while studying American components in Russian weaponry, addressed Taxes Instruments with a request to explain the presence of its electronics in Russian weaponry, but the US-based company ignored the inquiry. It was only in August when the company managed to reply that it made a thorough analysis to reveal that 36 batches which were shipped to Russian at the end of February and beginning of March were on their way before the full-scale invasion. 

However, a comment for mass media is not an official stance. The web site of the company has not any notice or explanation either. It looks like an attempt to sit on the fence and save its multi-dollar business in the attractive sales market.

Quite unexpected, but the way how American electronic components got to Russia after February 24 was explained by the Russian themselves. In particular, developers of the information protection started complaining that all supplies of foreign details of their equipment were disrupted except for produce of Texas Instruments they kept on receiving through alternative channels.

Analysts of the Ukrainian Trap Aggressor project have disassembled the Russian cruise missile Iskander literally into molecules. As a result, 21 foreign detail in this weapon has turned out to be either of European or American origin. These details are made by 11 companies overall, though the biggest number of them are made by Texas Instruments.

Following February 24, dozens of American companies which had supplied different components for the Russian military and industrial complex started withdrawing from the Russian market. The most of them publicly supported Ukraine. Trap Aggressor analysts sent dozens of letters to such companies and received their answers.

Such a letter was sent to an official email of Taxes Instruments requesting to explain presence of their details in Iranian drones, indication of their Moscow branch office on their official web site, and confirm or deny conducting business with Russia until today. They are still keeping silent which is more eloquent than any response.

See more details in our video investigation:

UPD: According to the company, TI stopped sales to Russia and Belarus at the end of February and we no longer support sales there. Remnant information on our website has now been removed. Also, TI does not sell into Iran. TI complies with applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate. We do not support or condone the use of our products in applications they weren't designed for.

Inna Popovych, a Trap Aggressor project investigator