The chips are down: Putin scrambles for high-tech parts as his arsenal goes up in smoke
Microchips appear to be the endgame for Vladimir Putin. Six months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is suffering from a severe technological deficit caused by sanctions. Moscow's soldiers are increasingly relying on ancient stocks of primitive Soviet-era munitions after firing (or losing in combat) far more missiles than they anticipated, while Western-armed Ukrainian forces battle to turn the tide in a southern counteroffensive with pinpoint strikes on munition dumps and key infrastructure such as bridges. Kyiv is acutely aware that the outcome of the war is likely to hinge on Russia regaining access to high-tech chips, and is working hard to ensure that it does not. Ukraine is warning the international community that the Kremlin has drawn up shopping lists of semiconductors, transformers, connectors, casings, transistors, insulators, and other components, the majority of which are made by companies in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, a