Zelenskyy urges foreign nations to disrupt supply chains powering Russian drones
Russia’s escalating air attacks depend on foreign companies whose components continue to reach Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits a school that Russia struck with a “shahed” on 1 October. In the photo: President of Ukraine, school principal Valentyna Chorna and head of the Solomyanskyi District State Administration Serhii Movenko“No matter how much Moscow tries to fully localise the production of its drones and missiles, the escalation is still critically dependent on foreign components. These are supply chains that run from Europe, the US, China, Japan and many other
countries,” he said.
Zelenskyy said most of these companies are well-known manufacturers, but their components still reach Russia.
The Russian strike of the school caused a fire, partially destroyed a wall of the building, and damaged windows and doors.“Every Russian drone can realistically be stopped while still on the production line. What is needed is the political will of these countries. If the Kremlin has chosen to strike more, sanctions must work and be tightened. Thank you to everyone who is helping,” Zelenskyy said.
Related: Rights group submits findings on suspected breaches of Russia sanctions to EU authorities
Ukrainian experts point out that countries, including China, Greece, North Korea, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil, assist Moscow in killing Ukrainians in its war against Ukraine by funding the Russian budget through trade.
Human rights organisations and Ukrainian authorities emphasise that structural economic pressure remains a key tool to halt such atrocities. They urge every nation and individual government worldwide to strictly enforce global sanctions, close existing regulatory loopholes, and completely sever remaining commercial and technological ties with the Russian Federation. Civil society groups stress that any continued cooperation by foreign businesses directly contributes to the resources Moscow uses to sustain its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
Keep up with ZMINA on X, Bluesky and LinkedIn – and help us improve by answering a few quick questions here about our English-language coverage.
