Experts warn over UK exports linked to Russia’s war industry
Exclusive: A multimillion-pound deal has raised serious concerns about whether UK export controls are strong enough to stop British companies from indirectly supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Experts have called on the UK government to review a contract that allows a British company to export advanced machinery to Armenia. The concern comes after an investigation found links between the Armenian buyer and Russia’s military supply chain.
Sanctions specialists and the chair of the House of Commons business committee have questioned why the government approved an export licence for Cygnet Texkimp, a UK engineering company.
Cygnet Texkimp makes high-tech machines used to produce carbon fibre “prepreg”. This is a lightweight and strong material used in many industries. It has civilian uses, but it is also important for military equipment.
The machines are believed to be almost ready for export. They are currently being assembled at Cygnet’s warehouse in Northwich, Cheshire. The buyer is a newly formed Armenian company called Rydena LLC, and the export could take place within weeks.
Rydena was set up two years after Russia invaded Ukraine. Several of its senior managers previously worked at a Russian company that plays a key role in supplying materials for Russia’s military.
Cygnet says it followed all UK export rules and received full approval from the government. Rydena says it does not work with Russian companies and only produces civilian products.
However, experts warn that this deal highlights weaknesses in export controls meant to stop British firms from unknowingly helping Russia’s war effort.
Carbon fibre: a key material for weapons
In February 2023, one year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced one of its biggest sanctions actions. It targeted 83 companies and 22 individuals linked to Russia’s war industry.
One of the companies sanctioned was Umatex. It is a division of Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy group. The UK added sanctions against Umatex in May 2023.
Umatex was targeted because it is Russia’s largest producer of carbon fibre. The US Treasury described carbon fibre as “critical” to Russia’s war machine.
According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), carbon fibre is used in almost all military systems. These include aircraft, armoured vehicles, missiles, drones, and protective gear for soldiers.
Olena Yurchenko, an expert from the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, confirmed how important this material is to Russia’s military.
She said carbon fibre helps make weapons lighter and more resistant to heat. This is especially important for drones, which have become a key technology in the war.
“Umatex provides materials for many Russian military programmes,” she said. “Without it, production would be much harder.”
Senior Russian executives move to Armenia
Umatex was led for several years by Alexander Tyunin. He was found dead last year in what Russian authorities said appeared to be a suicide. His death was one of several unexplained deaths among Russian business leaders since the war began.
Tyunin’s deputy for many years was Dmitry Kogan. According to his LinkedIn profile, Kogan worked at Umatex during the first year of the invasion and left in January 2023.
In January 2024, Kogan started a new company in Yerevan, Armenia. That company was Rydena LLC.
Armenia sits between Turkey, Iran, and Russia. Western governments have warned that Armenia is one of several countries sometimes used by Russia to obtain military equipment indirectly, despite sanctions.
Kogan is not the only former Umatex executive involved in Rydena.
Alexander Shleynikov, who was once Umatex’s director of business development, became Rydena’s chief financial officer.
Another former Umatex employee, Aleksandr Ilichev, joined Rydena in May last year. He is a well-known aerospace scientist and previously led Umatex’s testing laboratory.
Rydena’s website focuses on industries such as aerospace, drones, and automotive manufacturing. It even suggests work related to space technology.
“If you want to go to Mars, we know how to make your spaceship lighter,” the company says on its website.
Concerns over continued links to Russia
Rydena says the machines from Cygnet are meant only for civilian industrial use. The company says it does not make military equipment and does not do business with Russian firms or sanctioned countries.
However, public records suggest its leaders may still have ties to Russia.
Kogan and Shleynikov are also directors of a holding company registered in Cyprus. When they filed documents there in August, both listed Moscow addresses.
Yurchenko said this history should raise serious concerns.
“Anyone who worked at Umatex in senior roles was part of Russia’s war machine,” she said.
She added that sanctions make it harder for Umatex to get advanced equipment directly, increasing the risk that complex routes are used instead.
“Anyone exporting machinery to their new company must be completely sure there is no longer any connection,” she said.
Questions about UK government checks
Cygnet agreed to the contract in February 2025. The deal is believed to be worth more than £4 million. The export licence was approved later that year.
At the time, information about Rydena’s leadership and their past work at Umatex was already publicly available.
However, both Cygnet and the UK government declined to say whether they were aware of those links when the licence was approved.
Cygnet said the government told it there were “no specific concerns” about the deal. The company said it carried out all required checks and received full permission to export.
Rydena signed a formal document promising the machines would not be used for chemical, biological, nuclear weapons, or missile systems.
But sanctions expert Anna Bradshaw warned that such promises are often weak.
“There is a clear risk that the equipment or knowledge could end up in Russia,” she said.
“End-user statements are limited. If they are broken, it is already too late.”
Cygnet has already shared technical drawings with Rydena and has agreed to provide manuals translated into Russian. The company says Russian is widely used in Armenian industry.
The machines are expected to be exported by April or early May.
Political and business scrutiny grows
Cygnet Texkimp is owned by Matthew Kimpton-Smith. The company was founded by his parents in 1974 and has grown steadily.
Last year, the group reported sales of £18.7 million and counts major clients like McLaren among its customers.
Cygnet describes itself as an export-focused company working in aerospace, industrial, and defence sectors. It was also mentioned in the government’s industrial strategy last year.
There is no claim that Cygnet broke UK export laws. However, critics say the case shows how hard it is to prevent sensitive equipment from reaching Russia through third countries.
Export licences involve checks by multiple government departments, including security services. But the government has not said whether Rydena’s links to Umatex were examined.
Liam Byrne MP, who chairs the Commons business committee, said the case raised serious concerns.
“There are many red flags here,” he said. “The government must explain how it convinced itself this deal was safe.”
He is expected to write to the Department for Business and Trade asking what checks were carried out.
Official responses
In a statement, Cygnet said it works closely with the UK government on export controls and meets regularly with ministers.
The company said it follows all export rules carefully and received full approval for the Rydena contract.
It said Rydena confirmed the machinery would be used only in automotive, marine, sports, civil aerospace, and tooling sectors in Europe.
“Our business is built on integrity,” Cygnet said. “This applies to how we work with customers, partners, and governments.”
Rydena repeated that it only works on civilian projects and has no links to Russian companies or sanctioned organisations. It said its executives did not work for sanctioned companies at the time sanctions were introduced.
The Department for Business and Trade said the UK has one of the world’s strongest export control systems and has banned thousands of products from being exported to Russia.
It added that the UK and its allies have imposed the strongest sanctions ever placed on a major economy.
Published: 10th February 2026
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