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Russia’s Tank Empire Has a Sanctions Gap—and Ukraine Just Exposed It
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has published new findings on its War&Sanctions portal, showing that more than half of the companies tied to Russia’s primary armored vehicle manufacturer remain outside international sanctions regimes, HUR reported on January 9.
According to the intelligence agency, detailed information has been released on 41 enterprises that either belong to or are managed by Russia’s Uralvagonzavod conglomerate.
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Uralvagonzavod is the core armored-vehicle holding of Russia’s state defense corporation Rostec and plays a central role in supplying Russia’s armed forces with heavy military equipment.
T-90A at Uralvagonzavod, October, 2024. pic.twitter.com/jDjEX1G2wL
— T-90K (@T_90AK) January 6, 2026
Companies within the group are responsible for manufacturing and modernizing Russia’s main battle tanks, including the T-72B3M, T-80BVM, T-90M, and T-90MS Proryv, as well as the TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system, tank support combat vehicles (BMPT), and armored recovery vehicles.
The conglomerate also produces specialized railway cars used to transport troops and military equipment for Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
Since 2022, Uralvagonzavod-linked facilities have sharply reduced civilian railcar production, shifting capacity toward fulfilling state defense orders tied to Russia’s war effort.
Despite the conglomerate’s strategic importance to Moscow’s military campaign against Ukraine, 23 of the 41 identified enterprises have not been sanctioned by any country in the international sanctions coalition, according to the War&Sanctions portal.
These unsanctioned entities include:
a design bureau that developed rail platforms used to transport Russian tanks to the battlefield;
manufacturers of training simulators and instructional systems for armored vehicle crews;
companies supplying critical materials, equipment, and industrial services essential to the group’s production chain.
HUR noted that the “Aggressor’s Defense Industry” section of the War&Sanctions portal currently contains data on 429 enterprises operating within or under the control of five Rostec-affiliated holding companies. Each entry includes identification details, organizational roles, corporate linkages, and current sanctions status.
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Ukrainian intelligence says the publication is intended to help responsible international businesses vet potential partners, sever ties with companies directly supporting Russia’s war machine, and encourage closer coordination of sanctions policies among Ukraine’s allies.
Earlier, reports emerged that the flagship of Russia’s defense industrial complex, tank manufacturing giant “Uralvagonzavod” (UVZ), announced a large-scale personnel reduction.
-33982f75efb8af66c00c607967c724b8.png "Fragmentation of Russia’s Luch reconnaissance satellite captured on January 30, 2026. (Photo: S2A Systems)")