Sanctions

Eight decades later another conflict, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has revealed a starkly different state of affairs in the modern supply of nuclear fuels. Just as Europe became dependent on Russian gas, America and some other Nato states have developed a heavy reliance on Russia for the enriched uranium they need to keep their nuclear plants running. Tellingly, the trade was not subject to sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine but western governments and companies are scrambling to fill the gap by rebuilding their own industrial capability, an uncertain process that is expected to take several years. “This is a cautionary tale, not just for the nuclear industry, but energy policy in general,” Darya Dolzikova, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute’s proliferation and nuclear policy programme, said.

Russia has also stepped up efforts to disguise its supply chains, says Jack Crawford, a researcher at UK think-tank the Royal United Services Institute. “Russian defence manufacturers are taking advantage of front companies, third-country transhipment hubs, and loopholes in current sanctions to obtain these components, so any solution requires an all-hands approach in identifying and addressing these weak points,” he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Monday imposed new trade restrictions on 11 Chinese and five Russian companies, accusing some of supplying components to make drones for Russia's war effort in Ukraine. ... Nine of the companies, including China's Asia Pacific Links Ltd. and Russia's SMT-iLogic, allegedly took part in a scheme to supply the previously blacklisted Special Technology Center with drone parts for Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU). An investigation by Reuters and iStories, a Russian media outlet, in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think tank in London, last year uncovered a logistical trail that spans the globe and ends at the Orlan drone's production line, the Special Technology Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia.