By all estimates and indications in the West – the sanctions imposed on Russia significantly undermine its fighting efforts in Ukraine. Yesterday (Wednesday) the US Secretary of Commerce testified in the Senate, recounting an unusual phenomenon discovered on the battlefield: “We receive updates from Ukrainian fighters who are on the ground and have found advanced Russian weapons in which electronic chips of dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerators have been installed.”The remarks of the minister, Gina Raymondo, indicate what has been going on for many days in Western intelligence briefings, according to which US and its allies’ sanctions on Russia fatally harm the army and its ability to fight Ukraine. Not suitable for repairing their combat efforts damaged in battle.

According to intelligence estimates in the United States and Britain in recent days, Russia is having a very hard time replenishing its ammunition stockpiles as a result of the sanctions, and in particular is having a hard time replenishing its “smart” and advanced ammunition stockpiles. Cruise and other precision missiles – badly damaged so that it fails to rehabilitate them.Therefore, Russia is often forced to use only “stupid” bombs, which almost always entails particularly heavy damage to property and human life.

“Our approach is to prevent technology from Russia – technology that is important for the continuation of the military operation they are conducting,” Raymondo said. According to her, Ukrainian soldiers found several Russian tanks that had been destroyed, and inside them were found electronic chips that originally belonged to refrigerators and heavy industrial mechanical equipment.

“The amount of shipments of advanced technology devices exported from the U.S. to Russia is 85 percent lower than last year,” said U.S. Department of Commerce spokesman Robin Patterson, adding that the value of shipments shipped was 97 percent lower than last year.

The abundant evidence of severe damage to Russian military capabilities as a result of the sanctions is just another trouble in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. From the earliest days of the war, Russia has encountered great difficulties in stabilizing supply and logistics lines – which many believe is largely behind the Russian military’s failure to occupy Kyiv and large parts of Ukraine in the early days of the war.

In addition, throughout most of the war, the Russian military found it difficult to gain real control over Ukrainian airspace, despite the Russian Air Force’s clear preference over the Ukrainian one. Only in recent days have senior Pentagon officials estimated that at this stage none of the armies has clear supreme territory in Ukraine’s airspace.

In the naval arena, too, Russia experienced discrimination, with the sinking of the warship “Moscow”, which was one of the most important ships of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. To this it is important to add also the many reports from recent days that Russia may have lost the control it gained on Snake Island in the first days of the fighting. Another blow to Russia in the naval sector is the fact that it is unable to bring more warships into the Black Sea, because Turkey, as part of its assistance to Ukraine and the West, has closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to Russian warships.

In addition, the Russian Armored Corps recorded a severe defeat in Ukraine – with hundreds of tanks destroyed by Ukrainian fighters. Only in recent days it was reported that the Ukrainians managed to destroy on the battlefield the most advanced tank of the Russian army T-90M. It is estimated that the Ukrainian military has so far received more than 5,000 US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, and thousands more. NLAW Made in the UK.