In 2024 and 2025, over $3.7 million worth of high-precision manufacturing equipment was shipped from South Korea to Russia. Among the dual-use goods subject to EU and U.S. export restrictions were cutting tools and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinery, according to research by the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU), reports Korea JoongAng Daily.
ESCU identified products from at least three South Korean precision toolmakers that were showcased at the annual Metalloobrabotka 2025 exhibition in Moscow in May. This raises concerns that such technologies could be used in Russia’s defense industry.
“The key issue is not simply covert shipments,” Director for Analytics, Research, and Investigations at ESCU, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “What we find alarming is that products made by South Korean brands, which are de facto banned from Russia [since 2022], are now being openly advertised and promoted in Moscow."
The latest analysis of customs filings shows that shipments were funneled through a complex network of intermediaries spanning China, Turkey, India, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, and Thailand. According to preliminary estimates, the goods sent to Russia included:
- $2.19 million worth of threading, drilling and milling tools from a Berkshire Hathaway-owned Korean firm;
- $1.31 million worth of cutting and machine-tool accessories from a mid-sized manufacturer;
- $211,000 worth of CNC horizontal lathes from a Kosdaq-listed company.
Advanced cutting tools are essential for shaping hardened alloys used in military hardware, including artillery gun barrels, rocket and missile casings and drone engines. CNC lathes provide for high-precision machining of metal parts — for example, engine housings, shafts, nozzles, and mounts — with micron-level tolerances, critical for aircraft engine production and other aerospace applications.
In May 2025, ESCU discovered that DN Solutions’ CNC machines had reached Russia through Chinese intermediaries, and some of the equipment was later installed inside defense production facilities.
Earlier, the organization revealed that Italian-made equipment worth over $2.3 million — produced by FPT Industrie, HELVI, and HARDITALIA — had been delivered to Russia in 2024–2025. These companies were also displayed at Metalloobrabotka-2025 in Moscow.