The DIU is launching a new section, “Engineers of Aggression,” on the War&Sanctions portal.

This section will feature information on individuals who enable the aggressive war against Ukraine by designing and engineering russian weaponry.

The scientific community of the russia plays a pivotal role in russia's capacity to wage its criminal, genocidal war against Ukraine. russian scientists and engineers work in the fields of missile weaponry development, unmanned systems, guidance systems, and artificial intelligence, which are used to strike civilian infrastructure and kill Ukrainians.

Despite their complicity in waging war, many russian scientists remain part of the global scientific community: they receive international grants, cooperate with foreign research institutions and enterprises, and participate in international events. They apply the experience gained to their domestic enterprises and institutes to create new tools of mass murder and commit war crimes.

The first iteration of the section includes designers, engineers, technologists, and executives of russian military-industrial complex enterprises that produce major means of destruction. It is these weapons—ballistic and cruise missiles, guided aerial bombs, and strike UAVs — that russia systematically uses to strike civilian targets in Ukraine. While many of these individuals have long been included in the sanction lists of partner countries, some have remained under the radar. Among them are:

• • siergiej siursin — chief designer of the votkinsk plant, under whose leadership the production of 9M723 ballistic missiles (part of the “iskander-m” SRBM system) and RS-26 “rubiezh” (more commonly known as “orieshnik”) is carried out;
• • yeltugan syzdikov — first deputy director general, deputy for research and development, and chief designer of the State Machine-Building Design Bureau “raduga” named after a. bereznyak — the primary enterprise for the development and production of Kh-101 strategic cruise missiles;
• • vitaliy iekel — chief designer of the “strela” production association, who directly manages the design development and modernization of 3M55M “oniks-m” supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.

The list will continue to expand, ensuring that everyone complicit in the suffering of the Ukrainian people will find no peace anywhere in the world.

Stay tuned for updates.