Oleksandr Liemienov

Putin has declared Russia’s nuclear-capable Sarmat missile ready for deployment at least seven times, repeatedly using the weapon to threaten the West. But who builds it? Newly obtained documents reveal a sprawling network of missile, space, chemical, and nuclear enterprises involved in its production.

Russia still cannot build modern weapons without Western CNC technology. German Siemens and Japanese Fanuc systems continue powering machines inside Russian military factories despite sanctions meant to stop them.

Western tobacco-industry supply chains appear to have provided a route into Russia’s missile production chain. Internal procurement records, contracts, and customs data trace cellulose acetate manufactured by the European company Cerdia to a Russian plant that produces propellants for Kalibr cruise missiles used against Ukraine.