The newest round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian companies comes on the eve of the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and one week after news broke that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had been murdered in a Russian prison.
The new list includes multiple firms that were exposed thanks to investigations by The Insider. The companies in question, which up until now had been supplying the Russian military-industrial complex with critical Western-made inputs, include:
- GOLD SOLUTION OU (Estonia),
- INVEST STANKO,
- NPK MAKROOPTIKA,
- LLC TD SMS,
- UNIMATIC,
- ZAVOD NO. 9,
- PUMORI NORTHWEST,
- STANKOMASHSTROY,
- MIR STANOCHNIKA.
One of the sanctioned entities, Pumori Northwest LLC, based in St. Petersburg, was found to have procured metalworking machines, factory equipment, and components from various Italian suppliers, amounting to tens of thousands of euros. These items were intended for use by the Vologda Optical-Mechanical Plant and the Tactical Missile Weapons corporation, particularly in the production of sights for the T-90 Proryv (lit. “Breakthrough”) tanks. Logistic services for the transportation of the goods acquired for Pumori-Northwest LLC were provided by Gold Solution OU, an Estonian company which is also subject to U.S. sanctions.
Guns for the T-90 tank were produced by JSC Zavod No. 9, another entity on the sanctions list, previously targeted by the European Union. It was found to have acquired casting models and core boxes from Estonia through Invest-Stanko LLC based in Khimki near Moscow. Invest-Stanko LLC itself has also been subjected to sanctions.
In addition to Italian and Estonian products, German tools also found their way into Russia after the start of the war: WTO Werkzeug-Einrichtungen GmbH supplied them to Penza-based LLC TD SMS, which is affiliated with Stankomashstroy LLC, a company supplying machine tools to Rostec. Both LLCs are now included in the American sanctions list.
NPK Makrooptika managed to procure glass machining blanks, as well as machinery and consumables, from Germany and South Korea. Makrooptika supplies its products to several Russian military plants, including the aforementioned VOMZ, as well as the FSB, the Ministry of Defense, and Tactical Missile Weapons. Despite this, until today, sanctions against the company were only imposed by Ukraine.
The Yekaterinburg-based company Unimatic imported machine tools and spare parts straight from Serbia, Latvia, Germany, and Austria. Unimatic supplied its goods to Zavod No. 9 and the Verkhnyaya Tura Machine-Building Plant, which manufactures artillery shell casings.
In addition to tanks and artillery, European goods are also used in the production of the Kinzhal guided missiles. Included in today's sanctions is Mir Stanochnika LLC, which procured German gun drills for the manufacturers of the Kinzhal.