"Samsung Halts Use of Russian Metals for Tech Displays - Kommersant", 27 May 2025

Samsung Display quietly severed its sourcing ties with Russian suppliers of gold, tungsten and tantalum in 2024, the Kommersant business daily reported...citing newly released corporate disclosures...

Among Samsung Display's former suppliers were some of Russia’s largest metal processors, including the Novosibirsk Refinery, UralElectroMed, Krastsvetmet and the Prioksky Non-Ferrous Metals Plant. Those firms provided the company with gold used in microchip bonding wires.

Tantalum and tungsten — crucial for chip barriers and internal wiring — were supplied by the Solikamsk Magnesium Plant, Hydrometallurg and others...

Samsung Display, a subsidiary of the Samsung conglomerate, manufactures high-end screens used in its own devices as well as in products from other major electronics companies, including Apple.

Apple, which was among the first tech giants to stop buying Russian raw materials after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, now relies heavily on Samsung and LG for the advanced OLED displays used in its iPhones...

Industry analysts say Samsung Display's decision to end its Russian sourcing likely stems from concerns about secondary sanctions that could target firms working with Russian companies, even indirectly.

While some industry experts believe the company may still be acquiring Russian metals via intermediaries, others say the exit appears complete...