Electronic components from Irish companies are being shipped to Russia in vast quantities where they are often fitted to “kamikaze drones” for use against civilian targets in Ukraine, an Irish Times investigation has found.
This is despite EU export bans introduced following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, designed to shut off the supply of such technology to Russia.
In a 15-month period, beginning in January 2024, just under 10 tonnes of components from Irish companies reached Russia. All but 4 per cent consisted of components subject to EU export bans, an analysis of trade data shows.
None of the parts were shipped directly from the Irish companies, which are not accused of any wrongdoing. Instead they came from a variety of wholesale and export companies, mostly based in China.
READ MORE
The material included 1.3 tonnes of antennas originally made by the Irish company Taoglas and imported by Russia in 2024.
These antennas weigh as little as 9g, meaning up to 144,000 units were shipped in a single year. That is enough to make 36,000 Geran-2 kamikaze drones, a weapon that has become a central part of Russia’s strategy to wear down Ukraine’s will to fight by attacking civilian targets.
Chips made by Taoglas, which is headquartered in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, have been found in the guidance systems of Geran-2 drones, along with many other components from EU companies, according to unpublished analysis by Ukrainian intelligence.
The Geran-2 drone, which is being mass-produced in Russian factories, can carry a 90kg warhead and has a range of up to 2,000km.
Last year, Russia launched 34,000 Geran-2s, killing more than 600 civilians and plunging cities and towns into freezing darkness over the winter.
[ Antenna made by Irish company found in Russian bombs in UkraineOpens in new window ]
Their low cost and long range mean they also present a big threat to EU countries, European security officials say.
Sensors manufactured by TE Connectivity, another Irish-headquartered company, have also been found in the drones.
In March 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned the export of technology to Russia that could have military applications.
However, the flow of Irish and EU components has continued. Trade data covering the period January 2024 to March 2025 shows Russian companies imported 140 shipments of TE Connectivity-made products, weighing 8.5 tonnes, which are covered by the EU trade ban.
During the same period, five shipments of Taoglas antennas were imported by Russia. All but one of these were of products subject to the EU ban.
Many of the wholesale and export companies, along with the Russian importers, have already been subject to EU, US or Ukrainian sanctions designed to target Russia’s military industry.
In statements, Taoglas and TE Connectivity said they take various measures to prevent the downstream sale of components to Russian customers.
“We do not, and will not, sell to any entity identified as facilitating the diversion of technology to Russia,” Taoglas said in a detailed statement. It said it was not previously aware its components were being used in the Geran-2.
TE Connectivity, which is headquartered in Galway, said it “is firmly committed to its policy of no direct or indirect shipments of its products to Russia or to any sanctioned country and will continue to communicate this policy with distribution partners, and expect them to comply”.
Russia uses western components in many of its military systems, but the Geran-2 is particularly reliant on foreign parts.
The investigation, which was conducted alongside the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other European media outlets, found the drone contains almost 500 foreign parts, far more than previously known. This includes about 100 components made by 19 European companies.
“Sending many key parts for the [Geran-2] is not that different from sending lethal weapons,” said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s presidential commissioner for sanctions policy. “Without western technologies, Russia can’t produce the Geran-2.”
