Haas Automation Accused Of Selling CNC Machine Parts To Russia, Violating Sanctions

A Ukrainian watchdog is accusing Haas Automation, a large sponsor for Haas racing teams, of violating U.S.-led sanctions and selling high-precision CNC machines parts to Russian subject suppliers that whitethorn person been utilized successful the accumulation of arms.

The Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU) made the allegations successful documents filed with U.S. regulators, and seen by PBS Newshour. It claims that it has recovered grounds that Haas did concern with Russian companies implicit the past twelvemonth done its section distributor, Abamet Management.

In a connection to the outlet, Haas Automation vice president, Peter Zierhut, denied that the institution was doing concern in Russia, penning that it stopped shipping to the state conscionable weeks aft its penetration of Ukraine began. He called statements to the contrary “false.”

Read: Haas Drops Russian Driver Nikita Mazepin And Sponsor Ahead Of 2022 F1 Season Over Ukraine Invasion

Newshour claims, however, that customs records reviewed by it showed that shipments continued for months aft the penetration began. Between March and October 2022, it claims that Haas Automation made astatine slightest 18 shipments to Russia worthy $2.8 million.

The ESCU claims that the American institution was sending the parts to assistance Russian companies support CNC machines that were primitively supplied by it. The Ukrainian enactment believes, however, that Haas is acold from the lone shaper of CNC machines supplying Russian arms makers.

It is not clear, astatine this time, however the U.S. authorities volition respond to these accusations. Nor is it wide however this volition interaction the Haas F1 team. While the institution is simply a squad sponsor, the 2 are chiseled entities, some named aft Gene Haas, their founder.

This is, however, conscionable the latest Russian contention the squad has to contend with. At the commencement of the 2022 Formula One season, the squad chopped ties with Russian sponsor Uralkali and operator Nikita Mazepin, the lad of Dmitry Mazepin, who was aboriginal sanctioned by the European Union for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.