Malaysia’s chip industry falls in crosshairs of US sanctions on Russia
Al Jazeera
Kuala Lumpur-based Jatronics has been accused of supplying parts needed to sustain Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Bangkok, Thailand – The United States’ efforts to cripple Russia’s war machine in Ukraine have ensnared an unlikely target far from Moscow: Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry.
Malaysian semiconductor maker Jatronics SDN BHD is among nearly 300 entities that Washington slapped with US sanctions last month over their alleged links to Russia’s military suppliers.
Jatronics, based in Kuala Lumpur, is accused of shipping electronic parts and components to Russia that Moscow needs to sustain the conflict.
Russian customs data shows that one of the Russian companies Jatronics has supplied since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 was already sanctioned by Western governments for its alleged ties to Russia’s defence industry.
The latest sanctions, announced on May 1, freeze any US assets held by the targeted entities and bar anyone under US jurisdiction from dealing with them, effectively shutting them out of the US financial system.
