Heavy equipment from the American manufacturer Caterpillar is being supplied to Russia by the official dealer, the British company Vostochnaya Technika, despite both American and British sanctions and Caterpillar's withdrawal from Russia. This was reported by The Insider.
According to the publication, more than $24 million worth of Caterpillar equipment and spare parts were delivered to Russia in the first three months of 2024. These include industrial engines, parts for track loaders, bearings for construction equipment, Caterpillar generators, pumps and their components, gear wheels, and more. Based on the product descriptions, these appear to be new parts and assemblies.
The leading importer in this transaction is LLC "Vostochnaya Technika." According to the "origin of goods" graph, over 60% (by value) of the goods were manufactured in the USA.
The importer of Caterpillar products, LLC "Vostochnaya Technika," is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British VOSTOCHNAYA TECHNICA UK LIMITED, whose management includes three citizens of South Africa and one citizen of Australia. Until the end of 2023, 100% of the shares of this company belonged to Barloworld Equipment Uk Limited. The owner was then replaced by South African Barloworld Investments.
As reported by the media resource, Caterpillar cannot be unaware that its dealer is trading its equipment in Siberia, as Barloworld openly stated its intention to continue business operations (while also referring to the conflict as the "Russian-Ukrainian crisis"), and the financial report of the British subsidiary through which business is conducted in Russia is also publicly known.
Caterpillar Corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of excavators, mining equipment, construction machinery, power equipment, gas turbines, and other complex industrial machines and equipment.
In May 2022, the corporation announced its withdrawal from Russia. However, assets that remained were seized by Putin's decrees in favor of former managers of Sberbank. Yet, the page for the Tosno plant of Caterpillar still remains on the parent corporation's website.
