Western companies continue to supply components for Russian tanks - media

That's according to an investigation carried out by The Insider, Ukrinform reports.

Uralvagonzavod, as the main manufacturer of the said tanks, uses various types of machines and components supplied by Russian enterprises in its production cycle. They import everything they need through their partners in other countries.

Russian defense suppliers import many components from Italy. The investigators cite the example of the Italian firm M.T.S.R.L., which supplies spare parts for machine tools to JSC IPK Finval. It resells them to the Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant (VOMZ), which produces the Sosna-U sight system for Proryv tanks.

Pumori-North-West LLC of St Petersburg, another defense supplier of metalworking machine tools to both VOMZ and Tactical Missile Armament Corporation, buys milling machines for metalworking from Italy's Devco S.R.L., and steel needles, filter cartridges, shut-off valves, polymer rings and other components from Italy's C.C. S.P.A.

The German company WTO Werkzeug-Einrichtungen GmbH is a supplier to several Russian defense companies. It sends parts for lathes to OTC-Technologies in the Sverdlovsk Region, which then sells tools to Zavod No. 9 and Uralvagonzavod. Unimatic, also a Zavod No. 9 contractor, is another importer of WTO Werkzeug-Einrichtungen's products. WTO Werkzeug-Einrichtungen also supplies tool blocks to Penza-based LLC TD SMS, which is related to LLC Stankomashstroy, which supplies machine tools to Rostec.

Austria's EMCO GmbH is one of Unimatic's most important suppliers (and therefore to the tank gun manufacturer Zavod No. 9). The company supplies the Russian defense contractor with rotating pulleys and brackets, clamping rings, toothed belts and, indeed, machine tools.

Following the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, democracies have reportedly imposed export controls to limit Russia's access to technology and other resources that can support its military and industrial complex.