Ukraine criticises alleged use of Irish component in Iranian drone used to target civilians

The Department of Trade has said it is investigating how components allegedly made in Ireland ended up in an Iranian drone that was shot down over Ukraine.

The carburettor of a Shahed drone, found in wreckage recovered in the city of Mykolaiv in recent days, was labelled as being made by Tillotson and is stamped “Made in Ireland”.

Tillotson is an American company with a factory in Tralee, Co Kerry. It makes small engines for chainsaws, lawnmowers, brush cutters and leaf blowers.

Asked about the issue during a press conference in Kyiv, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We are aware of [the component], and we are investigating it at the moment.

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“We don’t believe any Irish companies have evaded sanctions, but there are third parties that find ways around the sanctions, and it’s really important that we crack down on that and we do take it very seriously.”

Former minister for foreign affairs Charlie Flanagan called it “a matter of some concern”.

Under EU sanctions imposed on Russia, there is a ban on the sale, supply or export of drone engines and electronic components, along with other items, that may contribute to Moscow’s military or the development of its defence and security sector. The list of restricted items also includes toy drones and various technologies.

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said new sanctions are needed against companies that supply components to Russia.

He tweeted a photograph of the component and added: “The Russian Federation has been buying foreign technological products for many years, but now, when they are becoming instruments of killing people, terrorism and genocide, this must be stopped. @sanctionsgroup suggests specific steps. New sanctions are needed.”

The EU has imposed sanctions on companies which has been supplying parts for Iranian drones which are being used by Russia against the civilian population in Ukraine.

It could not be established if the part of the drone shared by Mr Yermak was genuinely made in Ireland. Other companies have been known to make counterfeit Tillotson products.

Last year, an investigation by Conflict Armaments Research found a Russian spy drone shot down by Ukrainian forces contained Tillotson branded parts which turned out to be fake.

A Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment spokesman said: “Ireland implements a robust export control policy, which includes the application of the relevant EU and international standards for export control.

“Any breach of export controls is taken very seriously and the potential use of Irish components in Iranian drones used by the Russian Federation in Ukraine is being investigated, by the department.

“The department is also actively working with Conflict Armament Research (CAR) which is funded by the EU, to ensure, insofar as possible, that Irish components do not end up, either intentionally or unintentionally, in conflict zones around the world.”

Engine components with Tillotson branding have also been found in military drones deployed by Houti Forces in Yemen and in a drone used to target civilians in Sudan a decade ago.

Dmytro Shchedrin, a diplomat in the Ukranian embassy in Dublin, said it is aware of reports of western products being used in Russian military equipment.

“This proves that Russia works hard to find loopholes to circumvent existing sanctions and manufacture weapons to kill Ukrainians,” he said. “That is why we are working with our partners and providing recommendations on what restrictions can be imposed and what controls should be strengthened.”

In a statement Tillotson said it takes the use of its products very seriously. “Although we do not design for military applications, some of the smaller engines that use our products can be adapted for that purpose and so we take extra steps to monitor that ‘dual use’,” it said. “In that regard, we work closely with the government of the Republic of Ireland and CAR to monitor and track the sale and distribution of our products.”

The company said it registers its customers with the Republic of Ireland who help us “flag any direct sales that would be of potential concern.

“If any downstream misuse occurs, we then work with the ROI and CAR to identify the potential source or sources.

“Our first step is to identify if the relevant product is genuine or a fake and, if genuine, the potential customers who may have purchased it.

“We can generally limit the list to a handful of customers in a manner we are not at liberty to disclose. If the product is fake, we attempt to gain additional information on it to identify the source of the fake.”

The statement did not elaborate on whether the components in the drone were fake. Neither did the statement elaborate on how its components, if they were real, ended up in the Iranian drone.

Tillotson continued: “Through our efforts, we are also aware that our brand is commonly faked for lawn and garden purposes in China, and we have taken steps with the government of China to register our brand with their export controls to attempt to flag any unauthorised use.

“We are pleased with the co-operation between us and the relevant governmental agencies. We believe that together we have formulated effective ways to monitor and track the sale of our products and identify any potential areas of concern.” – Additional reporting PA