Ukraine finds Swiss components in newer Russian weapons
Friday 30th October 2026 on 06:01 in
Switzerland
Ukraine says components made by 11 Swiss companies have been found in Russian drones, missiles and cruise missiles, including newer weapons. SRF reported that Ukraine’s military intelligence agency regularly lists electronic parts recovered from the wreckage of Russian weapons in a public database.
Findings reported in the spring and in September and October 2026 show Swiss components in new or upgraded Russian systems. Ukrainian officials have also found Swiss components in North Korean ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine.
The systems include the Geran-4 drone, which has a jet engine and is described by the Ukrainian military as a development of the Geran-2, itself based on Iran’s Shahed drone. Ukraine says Russia has used the Geran-4 since May 2026 and designed it to evade Ukrainian air defences.
Other weapons named in the database include the Filin, a ground-launched Russian cruise missile reportedly used since late summer 2026, and the Kover, an air-launched cruise missile fired from a Su-57 fighter jet. The Kover was first used in late 2025 and carries a 250-kilogram warhead. The database also lists the North Korean KN-24, or Hwasong-11B, a vehicle-launched ballistic missile that Russia has used against Ukraine since late 2023.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukraine’s president on international sanctions, told SRF that Swiss parts are present in 95 per cent of Russian drones and missiles. The components are mass-produced industrial products used in systems for controlling weapons, processing satellite navigation data, converting voltage and storing information, as well as in sensors.
The parts are not classified as war material or dual-use goods, but can have military applications. The European Union and G7 countries added such goods to a shared sanctions list, which Switzerland adopted. Swiss companies are therefore prohibited from selling them to Russia.
Vlasiuk said Switzerland was not doing enough to stop supplies reaching Russia. He called on the government to involve law enforcement agencies and strengthen export controls, and said he was dissatisfied with Switzerland’s response. He also said sanctions rules had evolved while Russia’s ability to evade them had grown.