Austria’s Interior Ministry has issued a press release detailing on ongoing investigation and prosecution into a procurement network for the Russian arms industry.
The goods were CNC machines and related tools for metal processing. The suspected exports involved a network of companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Poland and Lithuania.
End-user certificates were also forged to mask that the real customer was Russia’s state-owned arms manufacturer ROSTEC. The goods are said to have been used in the production of engines for missiles and fighter jets.
Four properties were raided in August 2025 revealing evidence of exports valued at €3.3 million mostly shipped via Hong Kong and Turkey.
Evidence of continuing intentions to export led to the arrest on 13 May 2026 of a Belarussian national who was the managing director and co-shareholder of the unnamed company. He remains in custody.