Canada Sanctions Streit Group Over Armored Vehicle Supplies to Russia

Canada has imposed sanctions on Streit Group, a Canadian-Emirati manufacturer of armored vehicles, for supplying military vehicles to Russia.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced the sanctions.

According to a government press release, the decision came after credible reports confirmed that armored vehicles made by Streit Group are being used by Russia’s National Guard, which is involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Streit Group has a long history of supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex by supplying defense-related products to Russian entities. The company continues to support Russia’s war machine and the Putin regime’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. The sanctions announced today will help reduce Russia’s military capabilities in its war against Ukraine by restricting and making it more difficult for Streit Group to supply Russia with military technology and equipment,” the government said.

By imposing sanctions on the Streit Group, Canada is joining similar measures adopted by Ukraine in 2023 and by the European Union and Switzerland in 2025.

The first public reports of Streit Group armored vehicles appearing in Russia emerged in the fall of 2024, when the Russian Voenny Osvedomitel Telegram channel published photos of a Spartan-SUT armored vehicle in the manufacturer’s distinctive desert camouflage. The photos also showed other vehicles made by the company, including the Cobra and Cougar.

However, the first reliable confirmation dates back to September 2025, when Spartan-SUT armored vehicles were publicly documented in Russian National Guard units.

SPARTAN-SUT is an armored personnel carrier with STANAG Level II ballistic protection, designed for peacekeeping operations, convoy escort, urban patrols, and border security.

In October 2025, a Cobra-LAMV armored vehicle was spotted with Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) special forces. The vehicle, which is believed to belong to the Bulat SOBRunit of Rosgvardiya, was photographed in the Moscow region.

The Cobra-LAMV is based on the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 chassis. It is a police-specification armored SUV with limited off-road capability, intended primarily for use on paved or otherwise improved roads. The Cobra-LAMV weighs 5.7 tonnes and can accommodate six to seven people, including the driver.

It is not known exactly how this equipment entered Russia. The vehicles may have been supplied through third countries without the manufacturer’s official knowledge.

Meanwhile, given that Streit is currently owned and managed by Russian-born German Gutorov, who holds Canadian, Russian, and UAE citizenship, the possibility that he directly authorized purchases through third-party companies cannot be ruled out.