Key Findings:

• The Finnish company Kemppi publicly announced its withdrawal from the Russian market in March 2022 and donated €100,000 to Ukraine. However, after that, welding equipment worth nearly $8 million still ended up in Russia.

• Part of this equipment, through a network of intermediaries, reached the Russian military equipment manufacturer JSC “Asteis”, which produces armoured vehicles for the front against Ukraine.

• At least 13 such armoured vehicles have been destroyed on Ukrainian territory, proving the direct use of Finnish equipment in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

• The equipment enters Russia through intermediary countries, including Turkey and Serbia, as well as via a network of shell companies inside Russia itself.

A city of museums, festivals, and music – Lahti, a small town in central Finland, is also home to a family-run welding equipment business that has grown into an industry leader: Kemppi. Yet, from this peaceful place, valuable components are being shipped thousands of kilometres east to a destination where they’re in high demand by Russia’s military-industrial complex. That destination is the Republic of Tatarstan, where, since the start of the full-scale invasion, production of armoured vehicles, Shahed drones, and precision missiles has been ramping up. Journalists from Trap Aggressor, a project by the StateWatch Think Tank, have obtained unique documents proving the cooperation between a Finnish company and the Russian military-industrial complex. Contributing to this investigation is Meinhard Pulk, an Estonian journalist who managed to submit formal requests to Finnish customs authorities.

From Tatarstan to the Front Lines: The Path of Armoured Vehicles

This investigation begins with JSC Asteis, a Russian military equipment manufacturer known for producing Patrol armoured vehicles. These vehicles are designed for personnel and cargo transport, towing systems, and are equipped with bulletproof and mine-resistant features. The company is currently sanctioned by Ukraine, the U.S., the EU, and Switzerland.

We have obtained documents signed by Russian Defence Ministry officers confirming the delivery of Asteis vehicles to military units, as well as a letter addressed to Asteis containing a Defence Ministry protocol that outlines problematic issues related to fulfilling the 2023–2025 state defence order.

Shell Companies, Evidence, and Documents

Naturally, the Russian company chose not to risk receiving the high-value cargo directly. Instead, the operation was routed through an intermediary firm based in the same city, Naberezhnye Chelny. The company is LLC TD SOIR, founded in 2010, which specializes in equipment trading. Its beneficiaries are Svetlana Svirina, who is currently enrolled in astrology courses, and Anastasia Akhmetzyanova, who also serves as the company’s director. Based on social media photos showing a typical “Russian domestic setting,” she isn’t clearly living large.

Trap Aggressor has obtained invoices confirming the sale and transfer of Kemppi industrial welding equipment and accessories between Asteis and LLC TD SOIR.

From Finland with Love

Founded in 1949 by two brothers, Kemppi has a long-standing reputation and operates 19 subsidiaries worldwide, generating hundreds of millions of euros annually. The company promotes cutting-edge products, digital solutions, and services for professional welders, ranging from industrial firms to independent contractors.

On March 3, 2022, Kemppi announced it would cease all operations in Russia. A week later, it reported donating €100,000 in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.