Haas F1 severed connections with its Russian sponsor Uralkali at the beginning of the previous season following the invasion of Ukraine.
The Haas F1 team severed all links with its title sponsor after it was revealed that Russia had started a complete invasion of the country at the beginning of last year.
The team’s Russian sponsor Uralkali was abruptly dropped, and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin lost his job as well. As a result, Kevin Magnussen was immediately re-signed by the team.
The alarming revelation that Haas F1 team may still be secretly connected with Russia, violating the sanctions in place since Putin’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2022, came to light on NewsHour.
It has been discovered that the Russian company RATEP uses the outfit’s equipment to manufacture the anti-aircraft weapon guidance systems it provides to the Russian military.
Haas Automations violated American sanctions because RATEP is one of many sanctioned companies in the Russian arms industry, according to paperwork submitted to the US Treasury and Department of Commerce late last month.
Denys Hutyk, head of the Ukrainian Economic Security Council, was unaware that Haas Automations was supplying RATEP with precise machining tools made in California.
“We were surprised that, even now, one year after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Haas Automation is continuing its direct shipments to Russia,” said Hutyk.
Peter Zierhut, vice president of Haas, has denied any connection between Haas Automations and Russia, saying that all relations were severed in March of last year, a week after the invasion started.
“Haas no longer supplies machines, replacement parts or anything else to any companies in Russia, statements to the contrary are false,” he said.
Despite this claim, Newshour’s analysis of customs data revealed that Haas Automotive directly supplied Russia with shipments totaling $2.8 million from March through October of last year.
The current reports had substantial support from the ESCU, who asserted that they spent months searching through Russian databases and customs records to confirm Haas’ involvement.
It is yet to be seen whether the US government would look into one of its key suppliers of industrial technologies. Ukraine has stated that they expect a penalty to Haas will serve as a message to those that are making supplies to Russia.
