🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Despite a wide range of Western sanctions designed to disrupt the import of technologically advanced components for its military production to support its war in Ukraine, including "dual-use" technology with both civilian and military applications, Russia has managed to increase production of one of its most vital elements: artillery shells.
In order to fight back against the Russian war machine, Kyiv-based activist Mark Savchuk has begun pushing for a ban on the export to Russia of Computer Numerical Control ("CNC") machines, computer-controlled motorized and maneuverable tools and platforms that are critical to weapons production.
"Russia uses CNC machines to produce physical parts that are then used in almost all of its weapons," Savchuk told Newsweek. "The blades for rocket engines, the components for small arms, the outer shells of missiles—they're all made using these machines."
At present, the largest and most sophisticated types of CNC machinery fall under the mandate of Western sanctions against Russia, as do smaller dual-use technologies such as computer chips. But because Russian munitions do not require exceptionally sophisticated inputs, Russia has reportedly skirted sanctions by importing household appliances such as washing machines and outdated cellular phones, then stripping them for components to use in precision-guided munitions.
"You cannot simply ban all dual-use technologies," Savchuk explained. "A Western company that makes motorbike engines cannot prevent them from eventually ending up in a Russian Shahed drone, since literally anyone can buy them and then transport them without the company's knowledge."
Given the fact that no sanctions regime is perfectly enforceable, Savchuk advocates focusing Western efforts on key items that are the easiest to monitor.
"Machines that are smaller and that can be bought off the shelf will still be smuggled into the country, no matter what type of legislation is in place, just as a backpack full of microchips can be smuggled," Savchuk explained. "But restrictions on machines that fall in the medium range, those between the size of a suitcase and the size of a shipping container, can certainly be implemented."
These middle-level machines, Savchuk says, are used for making intricate parts that go into nearly every weapon system in the Russian arsenal, from rifles to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to artillery shells and missiles.
"Doubling the failure rate of Russian munitions, or cutting in half the amount of time a Russian tank engine can run without being repaired, would be of tremendous help to the Ukrainian war effort," Savchuk said. "Even if Russia manages to find ways to continue producing components without the help of the latest Western CNC technology, doing what we can to make sure that those weapons are of the lowest possible quality is still a good thing."
If the measures Savchuk advocates can be put in place, it could be years before any of Russia's allies proves capable of filling the void.
"China is ahead of Russia in CNC technology, but even China depends on German hardware and Taiwanese software for their mid-level machines," Savchuk said. "If we can find a way to enforce this ban, Russia will not be able to find a suitable substitute anytime in the near future."
