Canada made it illegal to ship microelectronics to Russia. So why isn’t the law being enforced? [Video]

While Canadian authorities and the federal government are aware of numerous cases of companies and individuals directly and indirectly supplying Russia with illegal microelectronics since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they have so far done little to enforce Canada’s laws.

In an international scheme involving shell companies and layers of shipping agents, the Kremlin has managed to purchase and import at least a billion dollars of sanctioned technologies from around the world that it desperately needs to power its war machines.

“Due to Western sanctions and restrictions on technology and components needed to carry on its ongoing invasion of Ukraine,” said Lucas Webber, a New Brunswick-based analyst and geopolitics expert with Tech Against Terrorism, “Russia is finding creative ways to tap into external industries and supply chains.”

Everything from missiles to drones require electronic hardware that Russian industry either cannot produce for itself or cannot make fast enough to feed the demands of its …