Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha emphasized the need to systematically close sanctions loopholes following yet another massive strike by Russia, in which foreign-made components and technologies were once again found in the weapons used.
"And once again, inside the weapons Russia uses to attack us, we find foreign-made components and technologies," Sybiha said in a post shared on X social media on Tuesday.
According to him, during the massive combined strike, Russia used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, and foreign-made components and technologies were once again found inside Russian weapons.
"There is something fundamentally wrong when technology developed in countries that stand for peace and security ultimately ends up inside Russian missiles launched at Ukrainian homes," the minister said.
Sybiha said the flow of such components into Russia cannot be viewed as a side effect of global trade. According to him, Russia is deliberately seeking loopholes in sanctions, creating procurement networks, using intermediaries and third countries, and obtaining critically important components to keep its military machine running.
"Every such component that reaches Russia is another opportunity for Moscow to produce more missiles. Every loophole left open gives the Russian military-industrial complex more room to operate. Closing them is therefore not a technical matter of sanctions compliance. It is a matter of saving lives," the foreign minister said.
He called for significantly stricter export controls, stronger law enforcement, and real consequences for those who help Russia circumvent restrictions. According to him, critically important technologies must be made inaccessible to Russia at every stage of the supply chain.
In addition, Sybiha emphasized the need to target sanctions against the entire ecosystem that supports Russian weapons production and procurement.
"It is not enough to sanction the missile after it has been built or the factory after it has expanded production. We must disrupt the networks that make this production possible in the first place," the minister said.
"We know how these chains work. We know Russia is exploiting the gaps. Now we need to close them – systematically and decisively," he added.
