South Korean company supplies equipment to Russia for production of nuclear weapons - Media
Photo: A South Korean company supplied equipment to Russia for the production of nuclear weapons (Getty Images)
South Korean company YG-1 supplied equipment to two Russian factories that produce nuclear weapons following the start of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, according to The Insider.
YG-1 is one of the largest manufacturers of metal-cutting tools in the world.
The company produces a wide range of tools used for metalworking, including drills, end mills, and taps (tools for internal threading). These tools are essential for processing various metals, from aluminum to steel and titanium, and are critical resources for the aerospace and missile industries.
It is noted that Russian defense factories actively use the company’s products.
One of the clients is FGUP (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) Electrokhimpribor, which has been producing uranium-235 isotopes since 1947 and atomic bombs since 1951. Between 2022 and 2023, the plant purchased fifteen types of drills and seven types of taps from the South Korean manufacturer.
Another buyer of South Korean equipment is FGUP (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) Mayak Production Association, which is a key facility in Russia’s nuclear industry.
The enterprise is located in the Chelyabinsk region and comprises seven factories and ten nuclear reactors. It remains one of the key producers of weapon-grade plutonium.
In 2022–2023, the Mayak plant purchased three types of threading tools and one type of milling cutter (cutting tools for shaping) from the company YG-1.
Additionally, in February 2024, LLC Tsentrotech, which is part of Rosatom and manufactures centrifuges for uranium enrichment, announced a price monitoring for supplies from YG-1, including one type of plates, one type of milling cutter, and 13 types of drills.
Furthermore, according to The Insider, other Russian military enterprises acquired tools from the South Korean manufacturer after the start of the full-scale war.
Among them are NVC (Scientific and Production Center) Automation and Instrumentation named after N.A. Pilyugin (which produces missile control systems, including Topol-M missile systems), FGUP (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) Production Association Oktyabr (which makes radio navigation systems and radio altimeters for aircraft and helicopters), Concern MPO (Marine Underwater Weapons) - Gidropribor (which manufactures torpedoes, mines, and anti-mine weapons), and others.
We recently reported that Chinese companies are exporting high-precision parts used in Russian weapons to Belarusian defense contractors, even after the latter was sanctioned due to the war against Ukraine.
