U.S. company Haas appears to still indirectly supply Russian arms industry with technology

Simon Ostrovsky:

This is the Novosibirsk instrument building plan, known as NPZ in Russian. It manufactures high-end optics used by the Russian military for everything from targeting systems to Russia’s weapons to night vision for its infantry.

NPZ doesn’t want you to know where it gets its high-tech equipment from, which is why they have pasted their own logo over the logo of the manufacturer of this machine tool, seen in a promotional video released in April. But they have missed a spot. Zoom in here, and you can see the distinctive red H above the control panel identifying it as a computer numerical control machine tool made by Haas Automation of Oxnard, California.

NPZ isn’t alone in being partial to Haas machine tools. They’re used throughout the Russian military industrial complex, because they can be programmed to mill, cut or shave metal into almost any shape necessary. For years, Haas sold machine tools in Russia via its official distributor, Abamet Management LTD.

Even though sanctions have been in place against the Russian defense industry for almost a decade as a result of the annexation of Crimea, only after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year did Haas officially sever its relationship with Abamet and made — quote — “no direct or indirect shipments or sales to Russia” since March 3, 2022.

But the organization that originally exposed Haas’ dealings in Russia says even that may not be true.

Denys Hutyk is an adviser at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, or ESCU. He told “NewsHour” spare parts needed to maintain the Haas machines already being used in Russia continue to flow into the country via a mysterious firm in China called Suzhou Sup Bestech Machine Tools Co., LTD. that doesn’t seem to have a Web site or phone number, and was set up just two weeks after Haas officially pulled out of Russia.

Denys Hutyk, Economic Security Council of Ukraine: Since the moment when Russia received the last direct shipment of Haas products from Oxnard, California, and since October 2022, this Chinese company supplied or conducted around 200 shipments of Haas products to Abamet, and all those shipments are worth about $600,000.