Intel Shares Fall After Lawsuits Claim US Chipmakers Aided Russian Weapons

Intel shares slipped in early trading Wednesday after the company was named in a series of lawsuits accusing major U.S. chipmakers of failing to stop their technology from ending up in Russian weapons used against civilians in Ukraine.

Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and Texas Instruments — along with Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire Hathaway–owned distributor — are alleged to have shown “willful ignorance” as restricted semiconductors were resold through third parties to Russia and Iran, according to five suits filed Wednesday in Texas state court.

The cases, brought on behalf of dozens of Ukrainian civilians, cite five attacks from 2023 to 2025 that killed and injured civilians. The filings claim the companies’ components were found in Iranian-made drones tied to Intel and AMD, as well as Russian Iskander and KH-101 missiles.

The defendants allegedly failed to prevent illegal diversions despite U.S. sanctions, amounting to “domestic corporate negligence.” Mass-tort lawyer Mikal Watts filed the suits in Dallas, arguing Texas jurisdiction because the companies operate in the state.

Mouser, acquired by Berkshire in 2007, is accused of helping route chips from Intel, TI and others to shell companies controlled by Russian proxies. The distributor’s U.S.-based logistics were a “substantial domestic component” of the harm, one suit claims.

Intel, AMD, TI, Mouser and Berkshire Hathaway didn’t immediately comment. All three chipmakers have previously said they fully comply with export rules, oppose any use of their technology in Russian weapons and ended business in Russia after the invasion.

Bloomberg reporting last year found U.S. chips continue to power Russian drones, missiles and communications systems despite sanctions, prompting repeated warnings from U.S. lawmakers that manufacturers must do more to stop the flow.