The Czech Republic will inspect local companies that could have supplied Russia with equipment for weapons production

The Czech Security and Information Service is initiating an inspection of local companies that could have supplied Russia with equipment suitable for weapons production, the Czech publication iRozhlas reports.

The decision was made following a recent statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that at least 8 Czech companies could export their machine tools to the Russian defense complex.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky responded by saying he knew nothing about such companies, but added that he would check the grounds for Zelensky's statement. Now the Czech security service has announced that the check will begin after receiving the relevant list of companies from the Ukrainian side.

The service's spokesman, Ladislav Štiha, said that direct supplies of equipment from the Czech Republic to Russia are impossible without an appropriate license. According to him, the supply of equipment could have taken place before 2022, that is, before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when sanctions were not yet in force. At the same time, journalists identified at least 12 Czech manufacturers whose products reached the Russian Federation in 2023–2024 through third countries.

Štiha admits that Czech equipment could have reached Russia through third parties. According to him, many companies apply for licenses to export products to countries, including the EU, which are considered safe. These manufacturers undertake that the customer is the end user of the products, but in practice there are cases when the equipment is further resold through intermediaries to the Russian market.

Ladislav Štiha said that the fight against illegal exports is currently hampered by a lack of funds and a lack of relevant government specialists. This makes it difficult to counter the hundreds of companies that seek to circumvent restrictions to supply prohibited equipment to Russia.