Sanctions: Evasion Networks Supply Russia with Critical Machinery for War

On February 23rd, 2 years after the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of the Treasury,  along with the U.S. Department of State, sanctioned more than 500 Russia-tied entities "to impose additional costs for Russia’s repression, human rights abuses, and aggression against Ukraine.”

The designations have a particular focus on advanced manufacturing tools, including computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines and additive manufacturing (AM) machine tools, both identified as “critical” in the Russian defense sector.

In this snapshot, we explore one of the networks used to provide the Russian military with CNC and AM machinery from across Europe and Asia, all while skirting western countermeasures.