Electronic warfare technology from the West is entering Russia through Kazakhstan

Large shipments of measuring instruments produced by leading Western companies, ostensibly intended for Kazakhstan, are actually being redirected to Russia — including to companies already under sanctions. The Insider has uncovered a network of Kazakh firms purchasing advanced equipment from German, French, and U.S. manufacturers. The imported technology is used in developing and producing electronic warfare (EW) systems. Customs data reveals the paths these devices have taken en route to their final destination — Russia. The Insider also posed as a buyer and contacted a Kazakhstan-based intermediary, who confirmed that deliveries to Russia were taking place.

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RTO6 oscilloscope manufactured by Rohde & Schwarz / Image: rohde-schwarz.com

Since November 2023, the Kazakh firm Askarlab has imported high-end radio-technical equipment valued at approximately $2 million. The imported items include oscilloscopes, radio frequency filters, frequency analyzers, RF adapters, amplifiers, attenuators, frequency extenders, satellite modems, and vector network analyzers. The equipment was manufactured by companies such as Germany’s Rohde & Schwarz, France’s Safran Data Systems, U.S.-based Mini-Circuits, and Ireland’s Farran Technology. This advanced equipment is used in the development and production of complex electronic reconnaissance and warfare systems for use by the Russian army, a problem The Insider has covered in detail.

Kazakhstan’s customs data shows the goods were imported by air and cleared at the Zhetysu customs post in Almaty. Russian data suggests that some of the particularly valuable devices continued their journey into Russia.

Oscilloscope

On Mar. 11, 2024, an oscilloscope designed by the German firm Rohde & Schwarz and manufactured in Taiwan was declared at the Zhetysu customs port in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city. The listed recipient was the Kazakh company Askarlab, with Rohde & Schwarz as the sender.

Several weeks later, on Apr. 8, a shipment from Kazakhstan matching the same specifications was recorded at customs at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in Russia. The sender in this instance was Panalem Technologies, and the recipient was Infostera LLC (ООО «Инфостера»). It is clear that the oscilloscope which arrived in Moscow was the same one imported through Almaty the previous month.

Satellite modem

In December 2023 and the following January, Zhetysu customs registered the import of eight Cortex satellite modems manufactured by Safran Data Systems SAS. The average cost indicated in the customs documents was around $92,000 per unit. During the same period, Russian customs recorded six similar Cortex satellite modems arriving from Kazakhstan, with an average cost of approximately $110,000 per unit.

In all instances, the initial seller was Safran Data Systems SAS in France, the intermediary buyer in Kazakhstan was Askarlab, and the exporter to Russia was the Kazakh company Computer Services Ltd.

Vector signal generator

In November 2023, Kazakh customs registered a batch of vector signal generators manufactured by Rohde & Schwarz in Taiwan, valued at $700,000. Askarlab imported them from Germany. In December, the same firm shipped identical generators to Moscow, valued at $800,000. The shipment entered Russia through Sheremetyevo Customs, with the recipient listed as the aforementioned “Infostera.”

Keysight-made analog signal generator

The Insider’srecent investigation highlighted the importance of Keysight products in the development and production of advanced electronic warfare systems. Starting from November 2023, Almaty-based firm Dicosta Technologies imported $1 million worth of Keysight equipment, including noise generators, signal analyzers, and attenuators. The equipment was manufactured in Malaysia but purchased from Keysight’s office in Spain.

In February, Zhetysu customs registered two high-end N5181B MXG signal generators, each valued at around $20,000. Identical generators were cleared through customs in Zelenograd, Russia in March, with Panalem Technologies as the sender.

Dipaul and electronic warfare systems

Correspondence obtained by The Insider reveals that, Alexander Lisitsin, CEO of the Kazakhstan-based company Askarlab, promised to supply Keysight equipment — including the N8481A power sensor and N1914A power meter — to the Russian firm Dipaul JSC (АО «Научно-производственная фирма “Диполь“»).

In 2023, Askarlab and Research Core Facilities — both based in Kazakhstan — supplied similar power meters to Gigalab LLC (ООО «Гигалаб») and Euro-Tech LLC (ООО «Евро-тех») in Russia.

A review of these customs transactions and company management data suggests that Askarlab, Dicosta Technologies, Panalem Technologies, and Computer Services Ltd make up a network delivering complex Western-made radio-technical devices from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. into Russia. The devices can later be used to create electronic warfare systems. Some of this equipment may have reached Dipaul JSC, which has been subject to U.S. sanctions since September 2023.

Equipment from Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz, and other major global manufacturers is actively employed in enhancing and refining Russia’s satellite electronic reconnaissance capacities and the “Liana” system of signals intelligence satellites, military expert Leonid Dmitriev explained to The Insider in an October interview.

The Insider contacted Dicosta Technologies, posing as a Moscow-based buyer from intermediary firm “ABC” to request a Keysight price list. A Dicosta employee confirmed the company’s role in these supplies through another intermediary and offered to send a price list via email. When asked about purchasing Rohde & Schwarz equipment via Askarlab, the employee suggested reaching out to a representative of the Almaty-based official distributor for Rohde & Schwarz.

Attempts to reach Askarlab were unsuccessful. Panalem Technologies has no publicly available contact information.