Investigation: Czech Corporation Alta Serves Machine Tools for Tank and Artillery Manufacturers in Russia

The Czech industrial group Alta continued to service the machine tools of Russia’s leading tank and artillery manufacturers after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This is revealed in a joint investigation by The Insider and Voxpot.

Despite existing sanctions and the formal sale of assets, the company has maintained supply chains and equipment maintenance services in the interests of the Russian defense industry.

In particular, Alta ensures the operation of machine tools at Uralvagonzavod—Russia’s main manufacturer of T-90 main battle tanks and modernized T-72 tanks. The company is subject to U.S. and EU sanctions.

In addition, companies affiliated with Alta likely continue to service the manufacturer of Russian barrel and rocket artillery, Motovilikhinskie Zavody, according to the journalists.

The group’s Russian legal entities, Alta Rus LLC (“A-R”) and Alta Ural LLC, specialize in supplying and servicing machining centers.

In 2022, Alta officially divested part of its assets by selling Ulyanovsk Heavy Machine Tool Plant LLC and T21 LLC to lawyer Alexei Panin, who represents the company’s interests in court. The company’s main clients are Russian defense plants.

Investigators consider the sale agreement to be fictitious, as the buyer lacks sufficient funds to acquire a company with nearly a billion in turnover, and the firms continue to use shared domains, customs brokers, and suppliers.

The Alta Group acts as a distributor for well-known manufacturers of metalworking equipment, including TOS Kuřim, ČKD Blansko, TOS Čelákovice, and TS Plzeň a.s. hydraulic press plant (formerly Škoda Heavy Engineering).

According to 2022 reports, the corporation retains its status as the official representative of Škoda Machine Tool in Russia and continues to service the brand’s machine tools.

The beneficiary and founder of Alta Corporation is Ukrainian-born Vladimir Plashil. Since 1995, he has represented Rosatom’s interests in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and in 2012, he established a joint venture with the Russian state-owned corporation TVEL to export Russian nuclear fuel to Europe.

In 1998, Alta modernized the BelAZ plant, and in 2002, it opened an office in Yekaterinburg, Russia, responsible for modernizing Uralvagonzavod.