The International Working Group on Russia-related sanctions, led by Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) Ambassador Michael McFaul, has examined 174 foreign components seized from three models of UAVs used by Russian forces on battlefield in Ukraine, the presidential press service said on Monday.

Russia still relies heavily on foreign-made components, in particular microelectronics, in the UAV manufacturing process, according to the text.

China is the main supplier of critical components for Russian drones, accounting for 67% of shipments, with 17% of them going through Hong Kong, according to the international working group study.

Turkey and the United Arab Emirates account for 5% and 2% of the components, respectively. The drones also contained components manufactured in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland and other countries, in particular processors, microcircuits, transistors and other vital components.

According to the international working group's report, many details can be obtained through public platforms, which makes it difficult for regulatory oversight. With this in mind, the group's experts urged manufacturers to do more to prevent Russia from accessing their products in circumvention of economic sanctions.

"Russia is very actively using drones for massive attacks on infrastructure, civilian and military facilities in Ukraine, so it is disturbing to see that important components for the production of hostile UAVs come from different states, including from Ukraine's allies. This issue requires our joint immediate response. Comprehensive measures must be taken to prevent the aggressor from using critical components to continue hostilities on Ukrainian soil," Yermak said.

In particular, it was proposed to harmonize the sanctions lists between partner countries, unify the lists of dual-use goods based on the Harmonized System codes and expand the categories of goods subject to sanctions based on the Harmonized System codes. Companies should also develop clearer guidelines for complying with legal requirements.

According to experts, more efficient use of existing institutions and mechanisms is needed. In particular, the application of anti-money laundering mechanisms can strengthen export control measures, since sanctions circumvention often has similar patterns to money laundering.

The international working group on sanctions was established at the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is headed by Head of the Office of the Head of State Andriy Yermak and Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) Ambassador Michael McFaul. The group includes international and Ukrainian experts, among them are also representatives of Kyiv School of Economics.