Investigation: Despite Exit Claims, Gühring Tools Reach Su-30SM, S-400, and Krasnopol Production in Russia

Despite official statements about ending operations in Russia after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, German company Gühring KG continues to supply its products to Russia’s defense industry through a network of affiliated companies.

This is stated in an investigation by The Insider.

Journalists discovered that Gühring tools are used by dozens of Russian defense enterprises, including the Kalashnikov Concern, manufacturers of aviation equipment, artillery systems, and the Mayak Production Association, which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons.

Among the largest customers is the Kalashnikov Concern, which produces small arms, drones, and precision-guided munitions for the Russian military.

Gühring tools were also purchased by the Bazalt Research and Production Association, which manufactures artillery ammunition, including Krasnopol guided projectiles.

The company’s products were also used by aviation enterprises, including the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, which produces Su-30SM fighter jets for the Russian Aerospace Forces, and the Beriev Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex, which repairs and modernizes A-50 airborne early warning aircraft and other military aviation platforms.

Other customers include the Kalinin Machine-Building Plant, a manufacturer of launchers for S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, and the Chelyabinsk Forge and Press Plant, which produces heavy-duty semi-trailers for transporting tanks, self-propelled artillery systems, and other armored vehicles. The investigation also highlights the Mayak Production Association.

The enterprise is part of Russia’s nuclear sector and produces plutonium for nuclear weapons. In total, the authors of the investigation identified around 280 procurement contracts for Gühring tools between 2015 and 2023.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, Gühring KG claimed it had ceased operations in Russia and “deconsolidated” its subsidiary, Gühring LLC.

Company representatives stated that they no longer influence Russian business activities and do not conduct direct or indirect deliveries to Russia. However, evidence suggests otherwise. The Russian subsidiary, later renamed Tool Company Gut, continued importing Gühring products.

After June 2022, it imported at least $20.98 million worth of Gühring products into Russia, including drills, milling cutters, threading tools, and other precision metalworking equipment. In October 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on Tool Company Gut.

In addition, in April 2022, after the announced exit from the Russian market, the company issued a declaration of conformity for milling cutters produced by Gühring KG, followed by two additional declarations in 2023. Documents also indicate continued use of corporate email addresses under the guhring.ru domain.

Investigators also focused on the Gühring plant in Nizhny Novgorod, opened in 2016 with an investment of €6 million. After the formal exit of the German company, the facility came under the control of Mobula LLC, owned by Yuri Gulyaev, former director of Gühring’s Russian representative office.

According to the investigation, the newly created company generated 803 million rubles in revenue in its first year of operation, rising to RUB 2.374 billion in 2024 and RUB 1.926 billion in 2025.

The investigation showed that after Gühring’s exit from Russia, supplies did not stop but were redirected through alternative routes. In December 2023, Mobula LLC received a declaration of conformity for milling cutters manufactured by Gühring KG. Deliveries were carried out via Shanghai Zhuangyu Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Co. in China and India-based Victools Inc., which exported around 690 kg of Gühring tools to Russia, valued at more than RUB 28 million.

Journalists also raised questions about Mobula’s financial activity. According to accounting reports, more than RUB 44 billion passed through the company in 2025 and was classified as income from investment activities.

Natalia Mukhina, head of monitoring and evaluation at Transparency International Russia, suggested that this cash flow structure may indicate a large-scale settlement scheme involving the purchase and resale of goods through agency or other intermediary mechanisms.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that a scheme for the illegal export of components for Russian Yak-130 and Su-27 aircraft was exposed in Moldova.