Machine Tools From the Czech Republic Supplied to Russia, Including For Defense Industry Purposes

Russia is supplied with machine tools from the Czech Republic, which are used, among other things, for the military industry’s needs.

An investigation by The Insider provides evidence of this.

The journalists of the publication counted 12 Czech manufacturers whose equipment has been delivered to Russia since 2024.

They note that the bulk of the metalworking equipment supply from the Czech Republic, which can be used in both civilian and military production, goes through detours: Estonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Latvia.

Three producers – Šmeral Brno, Varnsdorf, and TAJMAC-ZPS – account for the majority of exports, valued at approximately $8 million.

Šmeral Brno specializes primarily in the production of turnkey machines and molding lines. In several instances, the buyer in Russia was its own subsidiary. Although the goods formally came from Serbia.

The recipient of the Pilous-Pásové Pily products, specifically band saws for cutting metals, was Pilous LLC, registered in St. Petersburg. It is 70% owned by a Czech company.

The media also claims to be aware of a case in which Czech-made goods were received by a company that borders on Shahed’s production in Alabuga. This is the now liquidated Yugostroy ru LLC (60% of the shares belong to the Czech Jihostroj a.s.), which received a manual rail press for producing gear pumps. This machine was manufactured by its parent company, Jihostroj.

Additionally, the media identified five Czech companies that directly supplied metalworking equipment in demand by the military industry and the energy sector in 2023-2024.

Exporters

The media notes that in 2023, at least four Czech companies were exporters of metalworking equipment to Russia: N.Ko, Prestar, Tachtech, and Stroje Zeman Trade. The imported equipment included, for example, pipe cutters that can be used on gas wells. The cost of all the equipment is approximately $500 thousand. As a rule, the buyers of the equipment were little-known companies, probably retailers or highly specialized resellers.

One of the buyer companies was Tachtech Rus LLC, a branch of Tachtech s.r.o. As of 2025, it still not only does not hide its work in Russia, but also actively attracts new customers. Another machinery supplier, Permico s.r.o., exported a Korean Doosan CNC lathe to Russia in 2024.

Last week, during a conversation with journalists, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that Russia continues to receive machine tools for its defense industry needs from abroad. According to him, they are supplied, in particular, by eight Czech companies.