Europe — 2026-06-19

EU Citizen-Owned Turkish Company Funneled Sanctioned Metalworking Equipment to Russian Defense Firms

BLUFDespite a well-documented paper trail linking an EU citizen to sanctioned Russian defense suppliers, formal investigation by Dutch or EU authorities remains unlikely before year-end 2026 given chronic enforcement gaps.

A joint Kyiv Independent, IrpiMedia, and OCCRP investigation using trade and customs records found that Redwing Metal, a Turkish firm 40-percent co-owned by Dutch national Alexander Tattersall, shipped over $5 million in EU-made metalworking equipment to two Russian defense plants in 2023 and 2024 12. Redwing Metal was established shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with 59.9% held by Turkish lawyer Veysel Cengiz Soylemezoglu; Tattersall, who the Kyiv Independent reports ran AMR's European distribution network as CEO of the AMR Trading companies in Europe and the United States, denied knowledge of any sanctions evasion 12. The plants, Aluminum Metallurg Rus and Stupino Metallurgical Company, are controlled by Nikolay Timokhin, son-in-law of Rostec deputy head Igor Zavyalov; the Kyiv Independent's financial document analysis found they supply metal alloys to makers of Kh-101 cruise missiles and Su-34 fighter jets 2. Italian manufacturer MCM confirmed selling CNC lathes to Redwing Metal in 2023 under a contract barring re-export to sanctioned entities and said it was unaware the goods reached Russia 12.

Analysis
Tattersall's decade-long role running AMR's European distribution network directly undercuts his claim of ignorance, but a formal Dutch or EU investigation of him or Redwing Metal is unlikely by year-end 2026. That assessment carries moderate confidence, grounded in the pattern of enforcement shortfalls against EU nationals who route banned exports through third-country intermediaries. Tattersall's Swiss residency adds jurisdictional friction that historically delays or displaces accountability. His minority stake leaves a competing explanation: Soylemezoglu's majority faction may have directed the shipments without Tattersall's knowledge. The reporting rests on a single-source architecture, with OCCRP adding a second outlet but not independent corroboration. Whether the Netherlands or EU open a formal inquiry determines whether AMR and SMK face designation pressure and whether minority-owner liability in third-country bypass schemes becomes enforceable precedent.

2 sources

EU Citizen's Company Sent Sanctioned Equipment to Russian Defense Firms - OCCRP
Investigation: How EU machinery keeps feeding Russian missile makers - Kyiv Independent