Recent conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have exposed serious vulnerabilities in global supply chains to misuse by authoritarian regimes. Electronic components produced by Western manufacturers have been found in weapons used by the Russian Federation to strike Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, as well as in Iranian drones launched at Cyprus and Gulf States. Conflict Armament Research identified components from at least 70 manufacturers across 13 countries in Russian and Iranian drones used to attack Ukraine, including some from Council of Europe member and observer States.
Sanctioned entities exploit loopholes, weak oversight, and permissive re-export channels to obtain sensitive technologies. Thousands of components, originally intended to improve lives and economic development, are repurposed as instruments of war. Export controls and corporate due diligence mechanisms should be improved to remain effective in rapidly evolving technological and geopolitical environments. Disrupting the deadly supply chain is critical to hindering the ability of regimes to attack neighbouring countries.
In its Resolution 2622 (2025), the Parliamentary Assembly called for the reinforcement of sanctions against the Russian Federation, notably by targeting the supply chain of larger groups of dual-use materials, machinery and technologies. The Assembly should examine further measures to restrict the access of authoritarian regimes to dual-use technologies, including by strengthening due diligence obligations, expanding the common high priority lists of items identified as critical to Russia’s war effort, and introducing quotas or additional safeguards on dual-use exports, where needed. In this context, the implementation and possible update of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 of the Committee of Ministers on human rights and business should also be evaluated. The Assembly should further consider whether a new instrument, similar to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2021)2 – developed to restrict the trade in goods used for the death penalty, torture and other ill-treatment – could be introduced to prevent the misuse of dual-use goods by authoritarian regimes.