Austria exposes company that supplied equipment for Russian weapons production, circumventing sanctions

Austria has uncovered a scheme in which a Viennese company supplied equipment that was later used to produce engines for Russian missiles and fighter jets, despite European Union sanctions.

Reuters reports this with reference to the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.

The company forged end-user certificates to supply equipment to circumvent sanctions, including specialized metalworking tools and CNC machines that could be used to manufacture parts and tools.

The 28-year-old Belarusian company executive was arrested in May and remains in custody pending an investigation.

Austria did not name the company, but added that it concealed its supplies through a network of shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Poland and Lithuania. The equipment was supplied to companies linked to the Russian state conglomerate Rostec.

According to preliminary investigation data, the goods were used to manufacture military equipment, including engines for cruise missiles and fighter jets. Since 2022, Russian arms manufacturers have been supplied with industrial goods worth over €3.3 million.

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