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MOSCOW, KOMPAS.com – Hundreds of Russian drones flying over the Ukrainian battlefield linked to an unexpected supply chain.

The ‘Sea Eagle’ Orlan 10 drone is a relatively low-tech and cheap killer, but it is already targeting up to 20,000 artillery shells per day on Ukraine by 2022, killing up to 100 soldiers per day .

Survey by Reuters and iStoriesRussian media, together with the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think tank in London, have designed a logistics route for the drone.

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The line spans the globe and ends at the production line in Orlan, the specialized technology center in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Based on customs documents and Russian bank statements, the investigation marks the first time that a supply route for American technology has been traced to the Russian manufacturer whose weapons systems were used in Ukraine.

The Special Technology Center, which once made surveillance gadgets for the Russian government and now focuses on drones for the military, was first targeted by US sanctions after President Barack Obama said that he had worked with Russian military intelligence to try to influence the outcome of the 2022 US presidential election.

The sanctions, which took effect in 2017, bar US citizens or residents or US companies from providing anything, including Special Technology Centers.

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In March of this year, the US government tightened these restrictions by blocking all sales of any US product to any military user and effectively blocking all sales of high-tech products to Russia, such as microchipcommunication and navigation equipment.

However, nothing stopped the production of Orlan drones.

The Special Technology Center did not respond to requests for written comment. However, a top scientist, who is also a major shareholder, said in an interview with Reuters that the company is experiencing strong demand for its drones.

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The Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to questions from Reuters on the impact of sanctions and their relationship to the Center for Special Technologies.

The US Commerce Department, which imposes controls on US technology exports, would not comment on its knowledge of special technology centers or US components supplying the Russian drone program.

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In a statement to Reuters, A Commerce spokesperson said the department could not say whether or not there had been an investigation.

The spokesperson added, “We will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to frustrate the efforts of those who seek to support Putin’s war machine.”

Among the largest suppliers to the Russian drone program is Hong Kong-based exporter Asia Pacific Links Ltd, which according to Russian customs and finance records supplied millions of dollars in spare parts, but never directly. Many of its parts are microchip American manufacturers.

Asia-Pacific exports to Russia were mostly sent to an importer in St. Petersburg with close ties to the Special Technology Center, according to customs records.

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The import company, SMT iLogic, shares an address with the drone manufacturer and has many other relationships.

Asia Pacific Links owner Anton Trofimov is a Russian expat who graduated from a Chinese university and has other business interests in China as well as a business in Toronto, Canada, according to his LinkedIn profile.

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