Despite sanctions, in 2023 Russia was able to purchase more than 300 CNC machines from Germany, which are used to produce military equipment and ammunition. This follows from Russian customs documents reviewed by SWR journalists.
In total, the documents listed more than 30 German manufacturers whose machines were imported to Russia last year. Most of them are based in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, where a large number of mechanical engineering companies are located. Among them are Walter Maschinenbau from Tübingen, Volmer from Biberach, Fein GmbH from Schwäbisch Gmünd, Heller from Nürtingen, etc.
In about two thirds of the cases, the machines were imported to Russia via Turkey. At the same time, according to SWR, some of the Turkish intermediaries involved have direct ties to Moscow, and some of them were even founded by Russian entrepreneurs.
In turn, in Russia, as SWR journalists found out, German machine tools are actively used by companies that supply the Russian army with engines and parts for aircraft and missiles. Among these companies are KAMAZ, NIR, Industrial Solutions and Parsek.
The German companies mentioned in the investigation stated that they comply with the sanctions and do not know how their machine tools ended up in Russia. "Companies and intermediaries that do not comply with current legislation commit a criminal offense," the Association of German Mechanical Engineers stated, but refused to support the ban on supplies to Turkey.
About 80% of CNC machine tools in Russia are currently used in military production, said Elena Yurchenko, a senior analyst at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine. "With the help of CNC machine tools, they can produce much faster and more [weapons]. This is exactly what is happening now," Yurchenko noted. She added that Germany is the market leader for such machines, and the share of German products in Russian military production is about 30%.
Previously, the Financial Times wrote that Russia was buying used foreign CNC machines through China to increase production of weapons for the war with Ukraine. In particular, Moscow-linked firms AMG and UMIC bought equipment made in Israel, Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In all cases, the machines were first sent to China and then to Russia.
In total, the documents listed more than 30 German manufacturers whose machines were imported to Russia last year. Most of them are based in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, where a large number of mechanical engineering companies are located. Among them are Walter Maschinenbau from Tübingen, Volmer from Biberach, Fein GmbH from Schwäbisch Gmünd, Heller from Nürtingen, etc.
In about two thirds of the cases, the machines were imported to Russia via Turkey. At the same time, according to SWR, some of the Turkish intermediaries involved have direct ties to Moscow, and some of them were even founded by Russian entrepreneurs.
In turn, in Russia, as SWR journalists found out, German machine tools are actively used by companies that supply the Russian army with engines and parts for aircraft and missiles. Among these companies are KAMAZ, NIR, Industrial Solutions and Parsek.
The German companies mentioned in the investigation stated that they comply with the sanctions and do not know how their machine tools ended up in Russia. "Companies and intermediaries that do not comply with current legislation commit a criminal offense," the Association of German Mechanical Engineers stated, but refused to support the ban on supplies to Turkey.
About 80% of CNC machine tools in Russia are currently used in military production, said Elena Yurchenko, a senior analyst at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine. "With the help of CNC machine tools, they can produce much faster and more [weapons]. This is exactly what is happening now," Yurchenko noted. She added that Germany is the market leader for such machines, and the share of German products in Russian military production is about 30%.
Previously, the Financial Times wrote that Russia was buying used foreign CNC machines through China to increase production of weapons for the war with Ukraine. In particular, Moscow-linked firms AMG and UMIC bought equipment made in Israel, Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In all cases, the machines were first sent to China and then to Russia.
