Investigations
A Spanish company has supplied Russia with an Austrian radial forging machine. According to an investigation by The Insider, Russia’s production of artillery barrels relies entirely on this type of equipment. Howitzer barrels wear out frequently and must be replaced, and the precision required for their manufacture can only be achieved on machines Russia is unable to produce itself.
With love from Spain to Izhevsk
Forward Technical Trade SL, a Barcelona-based company with a sole shareholder, David Candela Sauri, delivered a used CNC forging machine — manufactured in 1983 by the Austrian firm Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau (GFM) — to AZK Group LLC in Izhevsk. The machine is valued at approximately $1.3 million and weighs 110 tons, according to documentation.
The deal came to light through court records: Izhevsk-based AZK Group was disputing a customs classification, arguing that the machine was a rotary forging press, while Russian customs officials claimed it was a radial forging press. According to Russia’s company register (EGRUL), AZK Group’s revenue has experienced manifold growth since the start of the full-scale war.
Spanish company Forward Technical Trade SL has no website. The point of origin for the shipment of the CNC forging machine in question is listed as the city of Albacete. The delivery was carried out under the name of a Hong Kong–based company, Scorpion’s Holding Group Limited. In Russia, the shipment was processed by the Nizhny Novgorod customs office.
Austrian manufacturer GFM previously told The Insider that, “We have never had any business relationship or contact with Forward Technical Trade S.L.U. or Scorpion’s Holding Group Limited.”
Irreplaceable machines
The production of long barrels for artillery systems requires high precision and specific material properties. According to a report by the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the Soviet Union started using Austrian GFM machines for radial forging of artillery barrels no later than the 1970s. For example, a rotary forging machine, the SXP 5, was already in operation at a plant in Perm as early as 1975. In total, 26 rotary forging machines were imported during that period.
According to Pavel Luzin, a visiting scholar at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, contemporary Russia’s artillery industry is “100% dependent” on GFM equipment, as Russia is unable to manufacture radial forging machines on its own. In 2011, Nikolai Bukhvalov, CEO of Perm-based Motovilikha Plants OJSC, said the company might build its own radial forging machine by 2017 (at a cost of 1.5 billion rubles) — but no progress has been reported since.
Barrel shortage
Artillery barrels wear out quickly during combat and must be replaced regularly — a process specialists refer to as “rebarreling.” Barrel lifespan depends on caliber and can reach several thousand rounds, but in wartime conditions it is typically shorter. This is due to a variety of factors, including the intensity of fire, the difficulty of performing maintenance, and the quality of the ammunition.
According to independent OSINT analysts, Russian forces have faced a chronic shortage of barrels since at least 2023. They have been actively “cannibalizing” barrels from Soviet-era artillery stockpiles, deploying exotic calibers from North Korean-supplied systems (such as 107 mm), and improvising various land-based ersatz systems using naval or airborne gun mounts — including naval rocket launchers like the RBU-6000.
Without radial forging machines, Russia’s artillery would soon be left without new barrels — and since Soviet reserves are finite, this would create serious problems on the front line.
Spain’s Directorate-General for Trade Policy, which is directly responsible for enforcing sanctions and controlling exports, responded to The Insider’s inquiry, writing:
If you suspect that a Spanish exporter has committed an alleged crime related to the export of dual-use goods and technologies, you must report it to the Criminal Chamber of the National Court, in accordance with the provisions of Article 65 of Organic Law 6/1985 of July 1 on the Judiciary.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA) did not respond to The Insider’s inquiry.