Haas: Indirectly Fueling Russian Arms Industry with Technology

U.S. company Haas Automation, based in California, appears to still indirectly supply the Russian arms industry with technology, despite claiming to have severed ties with its official distributor in Russia. Spare parts for Haas machines continue to flow into Russia through a mysterious Chinese firm, Suzhou Sup Bestech Machine Tools Co., LTD, which was established shortly after Haas officially pulled out of Russia. The spare parts are believed to be used to maintain Haas machines owned by Russian defense firms, including the Novosibirsk instrument building plant (NPZ). Ukrainian officials have called for stronger enforcement of sanctions against American companies involved in supplying the Russian arms industry. The U.S. Treasury and the Department of Commerce have not confirmed whether they are investigating Haas or planning to impose fines.