Despite international sanctions targeting Russia’s defence industry, a Belarusian plant, the Vitebsk Radio Components Plant Monolit, continues to play a crucial role in supplying components for Russian weapons. Specializing in the production of capacitors, a vital component in microchips, this plant has come under scrutiny.
Investigation: A recent investigation conducted by Slidstvo.Info, in collaboration with the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Belarusian Investigative Centre, shed light on the operations of the Monolit plant.
Key Findings: Between February 2022 and March 2025, Monolit reportedly supplied goods worth US$40 million to the Russian company Spets-Elektronkomplekt, a major provider of electronic components for Russia’s defence sector. Notably, over 96% of Monolit’s sales comprised ceramic capacitors, including the scarce K10-84 models developed exclusively by the plant.
These capacitors, essential for stabilizing electrical voltage in microchips, are integral to various Russian missile systems such as the S-200, S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, and cruise missiles like Iskander, Kalibr, and Kh-101.
The investigation also revealed the equipment utilized at the plant, including machinery from KEKO Equipment Ltd (Slovenia), heat-treatment furnaces from Nabertherm GmbH (Germany), and Pro-face by Schneider Electric (Japan-France), emphasizing the international nature of the plant’s operations.
While Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Monolit in 2023, the United States and the European Union have not taken similar actions against the plant, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing sanctions regimes.
Stand with Independent Journalism: Consider supporting independent journalism like this by contributing to Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon.
