Russia, bypassing sanctions through third countries, imports western electronic components used in the defense industry, reports The New York Times.

According to the respective article, at the end of last month, US and European Union officials exchanged information about prohibited technologies worth millions of US dollars, which end up in Russia, bypassing sanctions on the latter.

Officials of tax and trade authorities have noticed a sharp increase in the sale of microcircuits and some other electronic components to Russia via Armenia, Kazakhstan, and several other countries.

According to them, Russia was able to obtain particularly sensitive microcircuits and other electronic devices, which, in their opinion, are very important for the creation of weapons, including Russian cruise missiles with which Russia attacks Ukraine.

Immediately after the “invasion” of Ukraine, the import of Russian microcircuits began to increase again after a sharp decline, especially from China. According to Silverado Policy Accelerator analytical center, from October to January, the respective monthly import was 50 percent or more of the average indicator of the pre-war period.

The article notes that American and European officials are increasingly concerned that Russia receives American and European goods through Armenia, Kazakhstan, and several other Central Asian countries.