Nothing to be shocked about… All of these devices are readily available in China, no questions asked. I would be surprised if Russians wouldn’t be able to source from China the critical electronics they need even today.<p>A few months ago, we were asked to help with sourcing an out-of-stock high-end SoC (Western-made) for an R&D project funded by a western government. Sure enough, one of our reliable Chinese sources had some in stock. However, there was a catch: QR codes on the devices were laser-etched.<p>At first, we were confused about why would anyone etch the QR codes from chips… Were they stolen? After all, we were talking about a device which costs a few grand a piece. Eventually we gave up on this source.<p>A month or so later, we were procuring a similar device from an authorised reseller, and we were asked to sign some paperwork confirming we will not export it to any of the “axis of evil” countries. And then it struck me: reason QR codes were laser-etched from those high-end SoCs was they were export-restricted and were not supposed to be in China in the first place.<p>There’s hardly anything exotic on those PCBs in that Twitter thread. I am sure a well-funded, sufficiently determined buyer would find plenty of places in China willing to fabricate these things without asking a single question.