Sometimes it seems that sanctions against Russia are imposed for the sake of formality. In reality, however, most global companies comply with the requirements and do not supply Putin’s dictatorial regime with advanced Western technology or equipment. Even if Russian special services are willing to pay large sums for it.
Nevertheless, a number of German companies, many of them located in Baden-Württemberg, continue to systematically sell equipment to Russia despite the ban.
The scheme is very simple. Russian special services open an ordinary trading company, for example, in Turkey, Armenia, Kazakhstan, or even Saudi Arabia. And this company buys the necessary equipment or dual-use goods. The goods arrive in this country quite legally. And then, with or without fake documents, it goes straight to Russia. Where the Putin regime uses it to wage its aggressive war against Ukraine.
Despite the sanctions, in 2023, German companies could have supplied more than 300 cargoes to Russia, which were used to produce military equipment parts and ammunition. This is evidenced by an investigation by the German television company SWR.
The TV company obtained Russian customs documents, which revealed that by the end of December 2023, more than 300 deliveries from German manufacturers had been made to Russia.
Most of them are large industrial machines with programmable control. These computer-controlled machines can cut steel, bend sheet metal, and weld metal parts in a fully automatic mode. The TV company noted that 80% of the machines in Russia are used in military production, and Germany is the market leader in the production of these machines, with a share of up to 30% in Russia.
The journalists said that through video and photography, they managed to find out that the Russian companies Parsec, Kamaz, NIR and Industrial Solutions supply Russian military with engines and parts for aircraft and missiles.
All of these companies use German equipment, which, according to customs documents, continued to arrive last year. It is possible that Russia is receiving such machines this year as well, the journalists noted.
The TV company also managed to identify more than 30 German manufacturers whose machines were imported to Russia last year. Among the manufacturers are, in particular: Walter Maschinenbau, Vollmer, Fein GmbH, Heller, etc. According to journalists, in about two-thirds of the cases, the machines were imported to Russia through Turkey: some Turkish intermediaries have direct ties to Russia, and some were founded by Russian “entrepreneurs.”
Manufacturers contacted by journalists blame the intermediaries, saying that they violated the sanctions regime without the knowledge of German companies. Experts see the possibility of stopping illegal exports in strengthening sanctions and control over their compliance. Companies may not formally know where their products end up, but they can easily find out and take appropriate measures if they wish.
The desire to get rich is understandable. Especially if, under sanctions, you can make money twice as fast. But Putinists use these technologies to make weapons and kill people. The security of those who sell technology to Russia is known. They are convinced that this war will not affect the EU countries. And in extreme cases, the NATO security umbrella will protect them.
But in this world, not everything happens as we plan or expect. Events can start to unfold very rapidly and unexpectedly. Dictator Putin has repeatedly stated that he seeks to restore the Russian Empire, to restore the influence of the Soviet Union, which in turn means that a new Great War is still ahead. The world will continue to be shaken by the redistribution of influence between strong and aggressive countries. And we in Europe need to calculate our steps ahead. We need to calculate, enlist the support of allies and partners, and in no case should we fuel and strengthen the enemy.
