Ukrainians sue US chip firms for powering Russian drones, missiles

In a significant legal move, a group of Ukrainian civilians has initiated a series of lawsuits in Texas, targeting major American semiconductor companies. These lawsuits allege that the firms failed to adequately monitor their chip exports, which eventually made their way into Russian and Iranian military systems, contributing to wrongful deaths during the ongoing conflict. The plaintiffs, numbering in the dozens, assert that Texas Instruments, AMD, and Intel have neglected their responsibilities to track the final destinations of their products. They claim that these companies ignored government alerts, public reports, and pressure from shareholders urging them to tighten their distribution channels to prevent sales to sanctioned entities. During a press conference, lead attorney Mikal Watts expressed grave concerns about the practices of these tech giants, stating, "For years, they have prioritized profits over human lives." He pointed out that intermediaries only needed to check a box affirming that their shipments were not destined for prohibited countries, a loophole that has left many innocent civilians vulnerable to attacks. Watts highlighted the apparent lack of enforcement and accountability, emphasizing that chip manufacturers are well aware of their licensing requirements and the identities of their customers. "They rely on a checkbox that says, ‘I’m not shipping to Putin,’” he said, illustrating the minimal safeguards in place. The lawsuits detail five specific attacks that utilized weapons powered by the chips in question, including a particularly devastating strike on Ukraine’s largest children's hospital in July 2024. Among the plaintiffs are individuals who survived these assaults, alongside those who lost loved ones or suffered emotional trauma as a result. The legal claims argue that without the chips supplied by American firms, Russia would struggle to execute its military strategies against Ukrainian civilians effectively, underscoring the chips’ crucial role in modern weaponry.