Russia Received Over 300 Shipments for Military Needs From German Companies, SWR Investigation Reveals

German companies may have delivered over 300 cargoes to Russia, potentially intended for the production of vehicle components and ammunition.

This was reported in an investigation by the German television company SWR.

According to Russian customs documents obtained by SWR, it was revealed that by the end of December 2023, more than 300 shipments from German manufacturers had been delivered to Russia. Most of them are large industrial machines or so-called CNC machines. These computer-controlled machines can, for example, cut steel, bend sheet metal or weld metal parts fully automatically. 

The TV company noted that Olena Yurchenko, Advisor to the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, stated that 80% of CNC machines in Russia are used in military production, and Germany is the leader in the market for the production of these machines, with a share of up to 30% in Russia.

Through analyzing video and photo recordings, SWR managed to find out that the Russian companies Parsec, Kamaz, NIR, and Industrial Solutions supply the Russian military with engines and parts for aircraft and missiles. All of these companies use German machines. According to customs documents, further deliveries were made there until the end of 2023. The obtained documents did not have information regarding the current year.

According to the journalists, in about two-thirds of the cases, cars were brought to Russia through Turkey.

A recent investigation by UNITED24 Media has confirmed that Russia's weapon production depends on technologies sourced from Ukraine's allies, which are still being supplied to Russia despite existing bans.