Despite sanctions, Russia managed to import more than 300 machine tools for defense companies from Germany – SWR
12 October, 2024 A Niles-Simmons N50 MC machine tool. Photo: Niles-Simmons Despite the sanctions, Russia managed to import more than 300 machine tools for the production of weapons and artillery ammunition from Germany.
This is reported by Tagesschau with reference to a study by Sudwestrundfunk. According to their research, in 2023, Russia managed to import more than 300 industrial machines that can be used to produce military equipment, ammunition, guns, etc. In total, products from more than 30 German manufacturers were imported and shipped to Russia through the intermediary countries, most of them through Turkey.
A German machine tool at the Urals Optical-Mechanical Plant. Photo from the company's website
According to the publication, the modern CNC machines are used by companies such as Parsec, Kamaz, NIR, and Industrial Solutions, which manufacture the military products, including engine components and spare parts for aircraft and missiles. The study of documents also confirms that most of the companies whose products end up in Russia are located in Baden-Wurttemberg, a traditional center of mechanical engineering in Germany.
Additionally, SWR's research indicates that some of the Turkish intermediaries involved have direct ties to Russia, and some were even founded by the Russian entrepreneurs. Despite the attempts by the individual companies to limit the export of their own goods to Russia, most efforts are futile, as it is difficult to fully control the product's path, and in some cases impossible.
Working process on a Leifeld rotary rolling machine.
Photo from the internet
Given the difficulty of tracking, it is impossible to stop the supply of the modern CNC machines to Russia, which is still happening, with a possible increase in supplies of both German and Japanese machines in 2024. As a reminder, in June 2024, it became known that Russia had purchased used Japanese Tsugami equipment from China for the production of weapons at its enterprises. CNC equipment is needed for high-precision and high-speed metal processing.
The machines purchased by the Moscow-based AMG were used by the Kometa Corporation, which develops missile systems. In 2021, AMG purchased Tsugami equipment from an official Japanese supplier. The company paid the manufacturer about £600,000.
After the invasion, the volume of purchases increased to £50 million in 2023, with the entire increase coming from two shadow intermediaries.