Belarusian factory produces components for Russian weapons using EU equipment – investigation
Many countries have imposed sanctions against Russia’s defence industry base and its companies, yet some plants still work for Russia. One of them is the Vitebsk Radio Components Plant Monolit, which manufactures and supplies capacitors – a key element of microchips.
Source: an investigation by Slidstvo.Info; Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Belarusian Investigative Centre
Details: According to journalists, between February 2022 and March 2025, Monolit shipped goods worth US$40 million to the Russian company Spets-Elektronkomplekt. This company is one of the largest suppliers of electronic components for the Russian defence industry.
More than 96% of Monolit’s sales were ceramic capacitors, which stabilise electrical voltage in microchips. Sources note that the shipments included scarce K10-84 models, developed specifically at Monolit. Such capacitors are not produced in Russia. They are widely used in S-200 and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, as well as in Iskander, Kalibr, and Kh-101 cruise missiles.
Journalists were able to identify the equipment used at the plant, which includes machines from KEKO Equipment Ltd (Slovenia), heat-treatment furnaces from Nabertherm GmbH (Germany), and Pro-face by Schneider Electric (Japan-France).
Only Ukraine has imposed sanctions against Monolit in 2023. Neither the US nor the EU has sanctioned the plant.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!