Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war the British engineering company Renishaw has closed its businesses in Russia and Belarus, writing off assets of approximately $2.7 million and losing approximately 1% of its revenue. The company, which had revenues of about $875 million in 2022, said in a statement that it “tries to control any attempts to purchase products through alternative means.”
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But, customs data show that this is not working out so well: in 2023, Russia imported approximately 360 million rubles ($3.9 million) worth of equipment from Renishaw, which produces measurement systems that monitor the quality of parts made on metalworking machines. Moreover, the basic software required for the equipment’s operation is freely accessible.
Kamil Galeev, an expert at the Rhodus Intelligence analytical project, explained that these systems are necessary for the military-industrial complex, where maximum precision is essential.
“When a machine has cut a part, the Renishaw device checks whether it has been cut correctly or not,” Galeev explains. “The majority of consumer goods do not require the use of measuring instruments because small discrepancies make no difference. But military manufacturing requires very high precision.”
St. Petersburg’s NPK Fotonika, which is supplied by Hong Kong’s Ace Electronic, imported the most Renishaw goods, worth 59 million rubles ($650,000). The U.S. sanctioned both companies in fall 2023. Yet Fotonika, just as for other Russian importers of Renishaw, 59 million rubles is a mere drop in the sea.
For example, Fotonika financial documents, seen by Important Stories, show that one of its major clients is electronic components vendor Neva Electronika; it purchased components worth 2.3 billion rubles ($25 million) from Fotonika in 2023. In 2012, Neva Electronika was sanctioned for supplying to Russian defense enterprises. Fotonika is owned by Alexander Potapov, who was also a co-owner of Neva Electronika until 2022, according to the Russian registry.
How it all works
Renishaw devices require Renishaw software to operate, and the company’s website invites Russian clients to contact the British office for support. Usually, the client whose email is linked to the order can download the necessary software.
A Russian defense employee said he set up Renishaw systems at his company using the GoProbe app on his smartphone.
Yet basic software (GoProbe and the simplified Inspection Plus) can be downloaded even without registration; GoProbe is available on both the App Store and Google Play. In the application, you need to select the software, the measurement product, and the tool measurement cycle (a program to measure the required part). Data then appears on the smartphone screen that must be entered into metalworking machine’s computer numerical control (CNC) router for the Renishaw device to start working.
An employee at a Russian defense plant told Important Stories that he set up Renishaw systems at his company using the GoProbe app on his smartphone. An employee at another defense plant said his company has access to GoProbe and Inspection Plus, but that the software is installed on new machines by the machine provider Abamet.
An Important Stories journalist contacted an Abamet consultant, introducing herself as a client. He explained that he can update the software on a machine that his company has already supplied, but that Abamet no longer purchases Renishaw; it only sells what is left in stock.
The Abamet consultant also suggested communicating via the mail for details on software updates for Renishaw. According to customs data, Abamet, which is under U.S. sanctions, imported Renishaw devices worth 4 million rubles (,000) to Russia in 2023.
Ceasing activities in Russia
Important Stories has contacted all of the companies mentioned in this article but has not received any answer — or any answer with substance. For example, Fotonika owner and general director Potapov said that he does not give interviews. The owner and CEO of the Internet store Algorithm Tochnosti Elena Lazareva read the questions in the messenger and blocked the sender. And Vector Etalon co-owner and CEO Evgeniy Voynov hung up on the journalist and blocked her, after she said that his company imported Renishaw products to Russia.
Renishaw responded predictably, as all Western companies have been responding for two years: “Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Renishaw immediately stopped supplying goods to Russia. We also ceased our activities in Russia that same year. Although we spent many years developing our business in Russia and recognized the consequences for our employees in Moscow and Perm, this was the right decision.”
“Russian companies that own Renishaw products do not receive support from us. As a responsible global exporter, Renishaw is committed to respecting all control measures and sanctions applicable to our activities and we have developed and implemented a program to ensure compliance with this obligation,” the company said.
