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28 Oct 2024

Ukrainian Govt exposes foreign technology fuelling Russia's war: Overwhelming majority of manufacturers remain silent

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On 30 July 2024, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) launched an open database of foreign equipment used by Russia in the production of weapons. As of 28 October 2024, it contains information about 961 machine tools manufactured by 225 foreign companies, which are used by 153 plants in Russia to make weapons for attacks on Ukraine.

Germany is home to by far the highest number of companies (60 or 27%) whose equipment is used by the Russian Government to manufacture weapons like missiles, bombs, military satellites, military aircrafts and helicopters, warships, artillery and ammunition. It is followed by Taiwan, with 26 companies in the database, USA and Japan (20 companies each), Switzerland (19 companies) and Italy (16 companies).

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reached out to 218 companies whose equipment is listed in the database asking them to comment on its inclusion. We were unable to approach the remaining seven companies due to a lack of publicly available contact information.

We received responses from just 23 companies, 11% of those approached. Among the top six countries represented in the database, companies headquartered in Japan have been the most responsive, recording a 25 % response rate (five responses out of 20). Swiss companies have shown 11% response rate (two companies out of 19), while German companies’ response rate constitutes a mere 10 % (six responses out of 60). Response rate of companies headquartered in Italy is 6% (one response out of 16). The situation is similar for the US companies whose response rate is just 5% (one out of 20). No companies headquartered in Taiwan provided a response, despite the proliferation of Taiwanese firms in the database.

The most common response we received from companies was that they suspended or stopped all transactions with Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, in full compliance with sanctions. Some companies, including PerkinElmer (USA), TESCAN (Czech Republic), DISCO Corporation (Japan) and PEGAS-GONDA (Czech Republic), pointed out that the equipment added to the database had been sold to Russia prior to the full-scale invasion. This fact even prompted one company to advise us privately to pay more attention to the facts in future. While Maier Werkzeugmachinen (Germany) chose to accuse us publicly of blackmail stating the following in its official response: “Under no circumstances will we accept to be blackmail[ed] or forced into a situation where we give any information about us or our customers to any other then the German Authorities, especially not an intelligence agency of a foreign country.” Based on the responses we received, most companies do not seem to understand that they are responsible for how their products are used.

Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), companies are expected to conduct ongoing human rights due diligence (HRDD) to identify and address any human rights impacts associated with their business activities, products and services. In conflict-affected areas businesses should conduct a ‘heightened’ version of HRDD because of heightened risks to human rights in conflict situations. Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine began in 2014. This means all companies that had business relationships with Russia at that time should have started implementing heightened HRDD throughout their supply chains to make sure their products did not contribute to human rights harms.

A few companies managed to provide examples of measures introduced to enhance due diligence in their supply chains. According to Spinner (Germany), when the company becomes aware that a used Spinner CNC machine has been exported to Russia by a third party “then this machine will immediately be noted as “blocked” with its serial number and will be cut off from customer service, software updates, spare parts supply, etc.” Sodick (Japan) reported that prior to each sale of its machinery the company conducts “a thorough investigation of...[its] customer and verif[ies] if...[the] machine tool is intended to be used for civil purpose, not for development of WMD [weapons of mass destruction] or other type of weapons.” Hottinger Brüel & Kjaer (Denmark) said the company seeks “a contractual undertaking from...customers to not sell, export or re-export any of...products to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus”. However, it is unclear why the company banned users with Ukraine IP addresses from accessing its website.

It should also be noted that the responses varied significantly in the level of detail provided. For example, TMJ Strojírna Jesenice (Czech Republic) simply stated “Machine shown on the video has not been produced in the recent years by our company STROJIRNA JESENICE s.r.o.” without providing any further detail. Even though ONA ELECTROEROSION (Spain) similarly stated the equipment added to the database had never been delivered to Russia, it provided very detailed information from its sales records about all deliveries to Russia to date. The company also reported that as part of an export control assessment it always verifies “that the end user is not on any sanctions or embargo lists, and...require[s] a written statement from the end user as to the specific purpose for which...[the] equipment will be used and that it will be for civilian use only.”

Just one company ABBA (Switzerland) stated it takes the concerns we raised very seriously and reported it had “initiated an internal review to gather more information”. The company also promised to address any findings in accordance with the company's compliance procedures, applicable laws and regulations.

This extremely low level of transparency is shocking given that the equipment manufactured by these companies is allegedly used by Russia to make weapons needed for attacks on Ukraine – many of which have been labelled as war crimes because they target civilian infrastructure and result in numerous civilian deaths. According to the President of Ukraine, Russia’s army has committed at least 137,000 war crimes in Ukraine. On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, for alleged war crimes involving forced deportation of Ukrainian children. On 24 June 2024, arrest warrants were issued for former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for alleged international crimes, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

All companies which provide Russia with technologies needed for weapons production contribute to these crimes. They also risk being accused of complicity in war crimes. To minimise this risk, it is crucial for companies to take immediate action.

The following recommendations, developed by the Ukrainian Government, include very concrete steps companies should take to enhance due diligence in their supply chains:

  • create a list of equipment (tools, spare parts, technical fluids and software) whose deliveries require enhanced risk-based due diligence;
  • approve and regularly update due diligence procedures taking into account recommendations, red-flags, sanctions circumvention schemes, spread them, oblige their foreign productions, counterparties and contractors to comply with them, introduce liability for violations (including during the sale of used equipment);
  • use GPS trackers to control the end user, remote control systems to shut down the equipment in case of violations;
  • introduce on-site inspections at the place of equipment installation (repair, service, software installation); and
  • respond to detection of new cases of equipment use by aggressors - investigate, investigate supply chains, inform involved parties and governments, take measures to stop supplies.

Recommendations for governments can be found here.

All company responses and non-responses are available below.

Réponses de l'entreprise

3 Tooling s.r.o.

Aucune réponse

3D Systems

Aucune réponse

ALD Vacuum Technologies

Aucune réponse

Amada

Aucune réponse

ANCA

Aucune réponse

Breton SpA

Aucune réponse

Brown & Sharpe (part of Hexagon)

Aucune réponse

Bruel & Kjaer (Brüel & Kjær) Voir la réponse
BvL Oberflächentechnik

Aucune réponse

Bystronic

Aucune réponse

Chiron Group

Aucune réponse

Chevalier

Aucune réponse

CNC-Interservice Zlín

Aucune réponse

Corial

Aucune réponse

Dr. Tresky

Aucune réponse

Drei Bond

Aucune réponse

Eifeler Vacotec

Aucune réponse

EKM Jena Voir la réponse
EKRA (part of Asys Group)

Aucune réponse

EMAG SU

Aucune réponse

EMCO

Aucune réponse

EOS GmbH

Aucune réponse

Esmo

Aucune réponse

Eurotherm

Aucune réponse

Fedek Machine (part of LNS)

Aucune réponse

FFG Group

Aucune réponse

FIMAT

Aucune réponse

FICEP

Aucune réponse

Atlas Copco Voir la réponse
Fives Group

Aucune réponse

FPT Industrie

Aucune réponse

Force One Machinery

Aucune réponse

Fritz Studer

Aucune réponse

GEA Group

Aucune réponse

HELLER Machine Tools Ltd.

Aucune réponse

GLEASON

Aucune réponse

Guhring

Aucune réponse

Haas Automation

Aucune réponse

Hankook

Aucune réponse

Hanwa Co., Ltd

Aucune réponse

Hardinge Inc.

Aucune réponse

Hedelius Maschinenfabrik

Aucune réponse

HIWIN

Aucune réponse

HGG Group

Aucune réponse

Hexagon

Aucune réponse

HSD Mechatronics

Aucune réponse

Hurco

Aucune réponse

Hwacheon

Aucune réponse

Index Traub

Aucune réponse

Junker Group

Aucune réponse

Kelch GmbH

Aucune réponse

Kemper

Aucune réponse

Kjellberg Finsterwalde

Aucune réponse

KNUTH Werkzeugmaschinen

Aucune réponse

Kovosvit Mas

Aucune réponse

Losma

Aucune réponse

Litz Hitech

Aucune réponse

Macro Micro Tech

Aucune réponse

Mag-Autoblok Tecnomagnete

Aucune réponse

MAHO

Aucune réponse

Matec

Aucune réponse

Matsuura Machinery Corporation

Aucune réponse

MicroStep

Aucune réponse

Mikromat

Aucune réponse

Nakamura-Tome

Aucune réponse

Namsun Machinery Corporation

Aucune réponse

Nexturn

Aucune réponse

OC Oerlikon

Aucune réponse

Okuma

Aucune réponse

Optacom

Aucune réponse

Paul Koster

Aucune réponse

Pietro Carnaghi

Aucune réponse

Printprocess

Aucune réponse

Produtech

Aucune réponse

Proma

Aucune réponse

Reiden Technik

Aucune réponse

Rittal

Aucune réponse

Rohde & Schwarz

Aucune réponse

Rösler

Aucune réponse

Schaublin

Aucune réponse

Schenck RoTec GmbH Voir la réponse
Schuler

Aucune réponse

Smart Machine Tool

Aucune réponse

SMEC (part of Samsung Engineering Company)

Aucune réponse

Tmj Strojírna Jesenice Voir la réponse
SNT Dynamics

Aucune réponse

Starrag Group

Aucune réponse

Stäubli

Aucune réponse

Tacchi Giacomo e Figli

Aucune réponse

Takisawa

Aucune réponse

Tongtai

Aucune réponse

Disco Corporation Voir la réponse
DMS CNC Makina

Aucune réponse

Dr. Heinrich Schneider Messtechnik

Aucune réponse

Tos Varnsdorf

Aucune réponse

Toshulin

Aucune réponse

Trens SK

Aucune réponse

Trimos SA

Aucune réponse

Trumpf

Aucune réponse

VaTechnology

Aucune réponse

Volter

Aucune réponse

Vomat

Aucune réponse

Waldrich Coburg

Aucune réponse

Walter + Bai AG

Aucune réponse

Walter Maschinenbau

Aucune réponse

Wele Mechatronic

Aucune réponse

Wenzel Group

Aucune réponse

Willemin-Macodel

Aucune réponse

Zhe Jiang Headman Machinery

Aucune réponse

ZEISS

Aucune réponse

Zoller

Aucune réponse

Maier Werkzeugmachinen Voir la réponse
PerkinElmer Voir la réponse
Mitsubishi Electric (part of Mitsubishi Group) Voir la réponse
Ona Electroerosion Voir la réponse
Pegas-Gonda Voir la réponse
Akira Seiki

Aucune réponse

Alicona

Aucune réponse

AquaComp Hard (part of Kovofinis)

Aucune réponse

Aquarese

Aucune réponse

Arcam

Aucune réponse

Barload Machine

Aucune réponse

Behringer

Aucune réponse

Bettersize

Aucune réponse

BMI

Aucune réponse

CHMER

Aucune réponse

Bowas-Induplan

Aucune réponse

Cleveland Tool and Machine

Aucune réponse

Citizen Machinery

Aucune réponse

Consarc

Aucune réponse

Denver Industrial

Aucune réponse

Duerr NDT

Aucune réponse

ELB Schliff

Aucune réponse

Electro Optical Systems (EOS GmbH)

Aucune réponse

Electrotherm Industry

Aucune réponse

Elenix

Aucune réponse

Engineered Pressure Systems International (EPSI)

Aucune réponse

ESSEMTEC

Aucune réponse

Erfurt

Aucune réponse

Frejoth International

Aucune réponse

Farsoon Technologies

Aucune réponse

Fronius

Aucune réponse

GDW Werkzeugmaschinen

Aucune réponse

Grindex

Aucune réponse

Hartford

Aucune réponse

Hoffmann

Aucune réponse

Hauser Tripet (part of Hardinge)

Aucune réponse

Huffman (part of Optomec)

Aucune réponse

Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik

Aucune réponse

Hydraulico

Aucune réponse

JTEKT Machinery

Aucune réponse

KASTO Maschinenbau

Aucune réponse

Keyence

Aucune réponse

Keysight Technologies

Aucune réponse

Kitamura Machinery

Aucune réponse

LAC

Aucune réponse

Liburdi Automation

Aucune réponse

Linn High Therm

Aucune réponse

Lorenz (part of Liebherr)

Aucune réponse

Magerle

Aucune réponse

Mape CNC Machines

Aucune réponse

Metabo

Aucune réponse

MCM Group Voir la réponse
MIVA Technologies

Aucune réponse

Muototera

Aucune réponse

Niigata Machine Techno

Aucune réponse

Officine E. Biglia & C. S.P.A.

Aucune réponse

Olivetti

Aucune réponse

OMAX Corporation

Aucune réponse

Optomec

Aucune réponse

Pittler T&S

Aucune réponse

Po Ly Gim Machinery

Aucune réponse

Polysoude

Aucune réponse

Prima Power

Aucune réponse

PTV

Aucune réponse

Quaser

Aucune réponse

Ray Feng Machinery

Aucune réponse

Reishauer Voir la réponse
RICO

Aucune réponse

Sanco (part of FFG)

Aucune réponse

Sarix

Aucune réponse

Siempelkamp

Aucune réponse

Stephen Bader

Aucune réponse

Stratasys

Aucune réponse

Takamatsu Machinery

Aucune réponse

TAV S.p.A.

Aucune réponse

Terchy Environmental Technology

Aucune réponse

T-M Vacuum Products

Aucune réponse

Toyoda

Aucune réponse

ULVAC

Aucune réponse

Water Jet Sweden

Aucune réponse

Wematech

Aucune réponse

WFL

Aucune réponse

Winbro

Aucune réponse

WMW Heckert

Aucune réponse

Zeptools

Aucune réponse

Chronologie