“Two Italian family-owned businesses are saving Putin’s weapons from rust”. An article with this title was published in the Italian outlet L’Europeista following the publication of an investigation by journalists from the Trap Aggressor project of the StateWatch analytical center about the use of European chemicals in Russia’s defense sector.

As a result, journalist Raniero Maria Cartocci launched his own investigation. He analyzed the activities of two Italian companies – Sir Industriale and Novaresine, which in 2024 supplied important chemical raw materials to Russia – epoxy, polyester, and alkyd resins.

Italian colleagues confirmed that in just one year, Sir Industriale exported products worth approximately $16.6 million, including epoxy resins worth over $6 million. Novaresine supplied materials worth approximately $14.1 million. One of the main clients in Russia was the Yaroslavl paint and varnish Plant (ZAO NPK YARLI), which uses these raw materials to produce anti-corrosion materials. Russian plant’s clients include a number of sanctioned companies and factories of the military-industrial complex: KamAZ, Severstal, Uralvagonzavod, RZhD, Tatneft, and others.

In 2024, Italy became the largest European supplier of epoxy resins to Russia – accounting for approximately 21% of Russian imports of this type of product. Meanwhile, the remainder comes mainly from Asian countries, as most EU companies have stopped supplying this critically important product to Russian industry since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The Trap Aggressor’s investigation, published in September 2025, became the starting point for Italian media. It proved that European paint and varnish materials are being used to protect Russian armored vehicles from corrosion. L’Europeista’s publication confirmed this data and detailed the role of Italian companies.

Currently, other Italian media outlets are also working on the topic, examining the scale of local chemical manufacturers’ participation in supplying materials that may be used in Russia’s defense sector.

The Trap Aggressor editorial team expresses gratitude to Nadiia Kalapun for assistance with translation of materials and coordination of communication between editorial offices while working on the topic.