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At a press conference last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia continues to receive machine tools for its defense industry from abroad, including from eight Czech companies. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský replied that he was unaware of any such firms. However, The Insider has identified at least 12 Czech manufacturers whose equipment was imported into Russia in 2024.
Most of the Czech metalworking equipment is shipped to Russia via third countries, primarily Estonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Latvia. According to Russian customs data reviewed by The Insider, imports of Czech machinery into Russia amounted to $18 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024.
Among the Czech manufacturers whose products were delivered to Russia three companies — Šmeral Brno, Varnsdorf, and TAJMAC-ZPS — account for the majority of exports, totaling around $8 million.
Šmeral Brno’s website says that the firm specializes in manufacturing “turnkey forming lines, stand-alone forming machines, and other equipment for forging shops.” Its website still lists Russia as one of the company’s key export markets.
In some cases, the Russian buyer was a subsidiary of the Czech manufacturer — even if the goods were shipped through third countries. For example, the recipient of Pilous-Pásové Pily’s metal-cutting band saws was Pilous LLC (ООО «Пилоус»), registered in St. Petersburg and 70% owned by the Czech parent company.
Pilous-Pásové Pily machines, like other equipment exported by Czech firms to Russia, are dual-use and can be employed in both civilian and military production.
In one case documented by The Insider, Czech-made equipment was delivered to a company located next to a Shahed drone manufacturing facility in the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan. The now-liquidated Yugstroy Ru LLC (ООО «Югострой ру») — 60% owned by Czech firm Jihostroj a.s. — received a manual rack press used for gear pump production. The machine was manufactured by Jihostroj.
The Insider was also able to identify five Czech companies that in 2023-2024 directly supplied metalworking equipment of the sort that is typically used in the defense and energy sectors.
In 2023, at least four Czech firms — N.Ko, Prestar, Tachtech, and Stroje Zeman Trade — exported such equipment to Russia. The goods included pipe cutters that could be used in gas extraction. The total value of these shipments was estimated at $500,000. Most buyers were little-known entities, likely retailers or specialized resellers.
One of the buyers was Tachtech Rus LLC (ООО «Тахтех Рус»), a branch of Czech firm Tachtech s.r.o. As of 2025, the company is still openly operating in Russia and continues to seek new clients.
Another exporter was Permico s.r.o., which in 2024 shipped a Korean-made Doosan CNC lathe to Russia. In comments to The Insider, the company denied trading with Russia. According to its website, Permico specializes in reselling used metalworking and forming machines to third countries.
The Insider has sent inquiries to all of the companies named in this report.
Czech Foreign Minister Lipavský said that Prague would “now try to unravel what led [Zelensky] to make this statement” regarding Czech firms. Czech Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček also promised to investigate possible sanctions violations by Czech businesses. Meanwhile, the country’s European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák acknowledged that Zelensky “may be right” and added that “it wouldn’t surprise” him if Czech companies found ways to circumvent sanctions.