During Russia’s war against Ukraine and its geopolitical confrontation with the West, Moscow has learned not only to circumvent sanctions to procure the necessary technical equipment but also to jointly produce technological products for the American market. These are the findings of our OSINT investigation and materials from the array of documents posted online by the well-known Ukrainian hacktivists Cyber Resistance.

In this feature, we are looking the cooperation of the Russian manufacturer Planar, based in Chelyabinsk, and its American subsidiary Copper Mountain Technologies. The companies are conducting joint international operations, unhindered by severe sanctions imposed on Planar for its “ties to Prigozhin” (the murdered leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner which was accused of war crimes in Ukraine, Syria, and Africa) and thus for its involvement in Putin’s war machine and his war against Ukraine.

It is worth noting that the cooperation between the Russian and American firms had been quite public before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s troops, as there were no sanctions in place. There is enough open-source data online on their cooperation.

Quotes from Planar’s report:

“We have recently developed a new model of a frequency synthesizer up to 20 GHz with very high performance and plan to launch it in September. This is actually an analog of a synthesizer that was previously produced by Phase Matrix, which is now a division of National Instruments. We expect that over time we may be able to enter the international market with this product. Our example here is the well-known Russian companies Planar (Chelyabinsk) and Morion (St. Petersburg). For example, Planar, which produces telecommunications and measuring equipment, together with its partners, opened Copper Mountain Technologies in the United States and successfully sells its products and solutions on the American market.”

Sanctions on Planar after Putin launched a full-scale war against Ukraine

Planar faced sanctions in the first months after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian government imposed the sanctions in response to Russia’s deliberate and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. “These far-reaching sanctions target a wide range of Russian military enterprises, including enterprises that develop and manufacture fighter jets, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for the Russian military. The sanctions strike at the heart of Putin’s military machine.”

Planar Limited Liability Company manufactures and supplies electronic components and equipment. Thus, it participates in benefiting from and supporting the Russian government by conducting business in the electronics sector, which is of strategic importance to the Russian government.”

In March 2022, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Planar. Switzerland and Germany, among other countries, also joined them. For some reason Planar is still not on the EU’s general blacklist.

However, sanctions imposed on Planar did not spell an end for the cooperation with its US subsidiary, Copper Mountain Technologies, but only pushed it to become non-public and switch to shadow schemes using newly created shell companies as intermediaries.

On its official website, Planar boasts being a developer and manufacturer of world-class high-tech electronics. The company was founded in 1992 in Chelyabinsk by several engineers specializing in microwave electronics. In 2003, the Russians shipped the first analyzers of their own design abroad, and by 2022, Planar had already held about 10% of the global market for these devices, according to the company’s own data.

Planar employs more than 400 people, running its own development and production centers in Chelyabinsk and Tomsk equipped with the latest equipment, as well as representative offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Copper Mountain Technologies is its fully-owned subsidiary in the United States.

Planar’s products for Russia’s defense industry

The link between Planar’s products and the Russian defense industry could be traced in the leaked contracts shared by the Cyber Resistance group.

The Russian supplier Protekh made a commercial offer to the Special Technology Center (STC) for supplying advanced technologies and electronics. The list included the C4420 50Ω vector circuit analyzer (100 kHz – 20.0 GHz, 4-port (S11–S44), frequency range extension) produced by Planar.

The Special Technology Center (STC) is a Russian defense enterprise located in St. Petersburg. It is under Western sanctions for helping Russia’s war efforts. Earlier this year, it was hit by a massive data leak, which resulted in Ukraine’s military intelligence obtaining nearly 100 gigabytes of secret technological documentation.

In the leaked STC documents, Ukraine got access to detailed data on the Orlan-10, Inokhodets UAVs, Svet-KU and Leer-3 EW systems, and hundreds of pieces of military equipment. These documents prove that the STC is in charge of providing Russian weapons manufacturers with the required parts and advanced technologies, whereas the leaked commercial offer shows that STC needs Planar’s products.

Planar and CMT products are identical

An analysis of Planar and Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) devices and components makes it clear that they have identical products. The appearance and specifications are identical, as are the names and item numbers.

Sometimes the series, color, or even the design are slightly different. They are probably customized for certain markets with the name of the official manufacturer. However, they are produced with identical technical specifications and under common inventory names of “CABAN” and “COBALT” series.

At the same time, the calibration for American CMT technologies takes place in Russia, in Chelyabinsk. Here is an example of a calibration certificate for CMT technology, with the calibration location at the Chelyabinsk plant.

Patents for the products of the twin companies in the US and Russia

What about patents for high-tech products? It turns out that CMT and Planar have registered almost identical patents for identical products in the United States and Russia. We are talking about the Measurement module of virtual vector network analyzer.

In Russia, the patent belongs to TAIR, and the authors are Sergey Zaostrovnykh, Vladimir Semibratov, and Oleg Morozov. At the same time, Sergey Zaostrovnykh is on the management teams of the Russian and American companies. At Planar, he is a director, while at СMT, he is the CTO and the founder of the company.

In the United States, CMT holds a similar patent authored by a group of developers, including Zaostrovnykh from Chelyabinsk, as well as his colleagues Ryzhov, Bakurov, and Ivashchenko. They are joined by CMT Managing Director Alex Goloshchokin, a US citizen of Russian descent registered in Indianapolis, United States.

Technical documentation from the American company Texas Instruments confirms the identity of the Planar and CMT products, which were found in samples of Russian weapons used by Putin’s army against Ukraine.

“There is a fast method for in-circuit or in-device embedded antenna verification/checking. Users can verify or check if the antenna has desired resonant frequency, matching or bandwidth without any soldering. For this task a reflectometer (or VNA), flexible high-quality cable, handmade pigtail and standard calibration kit need to be used. An example below is made by using the CABAN R60 reflectometer (cable and antenna analyzer) made by PLANAR LLC (or R60 model by Copper Mountain Technologies) and R VNA Software application.”

Planar and CMT share joint technical documentation

At the same time, Planar’s documentation still describes the process of downloading the English-language product guide on the CMT website, which indicates the identity of the software and hardware. To quote:

“The VNA Performance Test software is distributed free of charge and is available for download on the PLANAR website. The program supports two interface languages: Russian and English. To download the English version, you need to go to the Copper Mountain Technologies website.”

Apparently, CMT software is compatible with Planar products, and we are looking here at a single company with offices in two countries engaged in a geopolitical conflict with each other due to the Putin regime’s war against Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian company is subject to sanctions that should have blocked any cooperation.

Alex Goloschokin, the CEO of CMT confirmed in an interview with the media the fundamental connection between Planar and CMT:

“Our company is named after a different Copper Mountain, which is located in the South Ural Mountain Ridge [in central Russia]. Chelyabinsk, home to our manufacturing facility, is located in this region… Our vector-network-analyzer (VNA) development team counts 15 engineers. And there are over 70 highly qualified technicians in the VNA production line and quality control. Our Indianapolis facility conducts global business development and sales activities. Customer support is also provided by two of our engineers in Indianapolis.”

In another speech, even before the full-scale war, in 2020, Goloshchokin also mentions “Copper Mountain in the Urals” and describes the work of the development team in Russia.

“During the almost 10 years since introducing that first USB VNA, CMT has grown to some 65 on staff — and growing — with headquarters in Indianapolis and a large development team based in the Ural Mountains of Russia, near The Copper Mountain, the oldest mine in the Urals.”

Job postings reveal continued cooperation after sanctions against Planar

Planar’s job postings evidence the ongoing cooperation between Russian and American technology companies. The company states that it is “a partner of Copper Mountain Technologies, a global supplier of vector analyzers in 100 countries” (10 percent of the total market).

Planar’s partner, TAIR, also claims to have an overseas partnership in its recruitment, and in particular, it has published a vacancy for a C++ Programmer (Junior), who can theoretically work remotely for both the sanctioned Planar and American Copper Mountain Technologies. We quote the presentation:

“SIC TAIR is a partner of PLANAR and Copper Mountain Technologies in the development and production of vector analyzers, microwave components, and measuring systems. The companies have combined and directed their efforts and capabilities toward the development of the electronic industry.”

Another partner, SINECTA, based in Tomsk, has a similar vacancy for a software developer.

Shell companies help continue cooperation circumventing sanctions

How do Planar and CMT manage to cooperate without subjecting the American company to secondary sanctions? Are there shell companies for trade and technology transfers?

Our OSINT research has found at least one. Sotis LLC exports Planar technology to various countries, mostly to intermediary firms in China, as evidenced by export statistics (source, source).

EXPORTER: COMPANY “SOTIS”

454091, CHELYABINSK REGION, G. CHELIABINSK, UL. ELKINA, 32.

BUYER: ARKOS TRADING PTE LTD

409051, SINGAPORE, 60 PAYA LEBAR ROAD #12-04, PAYA LEBAR SQUARE.

DESCRIPTION:

ELECTRONIC DEVICES DESIGNED FOR MEASURING PARAMETERS OF TELEVISION SIGNALS OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL CABLE TELEVISION, GENERAL CIVIL APPLICATION:

HS-CODE: 9030893000

TRADEMARK: PLANAR

PRODUCER: PLANAR

SYNECTA is a joint Cypriot subsidiary of Planar and CMT

In addition, there is another company in the supply chain and cooperation—SYNECTA. It develops software for CMT and Planar products, which once again proves their identity. At the same time, in presentations, SYNECTA is generally referred to as part of CMT.

On its own website, SYNECTA is positioned as part of the PLANAR cluster and declares only “partnerships” with CMT.

At the same time, the general manager of SYNECTA, Alexey Surkov, also introduces himself on his LinkedIn profile as the head of ITC Europe, working from an office in Cyprus.

So what about CMT? We also found Surkov on the CMT website. There, he is presented as the manager of the office in Cyprus of CMT Europe.

Meanwhile, in Russia, Surkov represents the SYNECTA company in Tomsk, where Planar has its own production.

A financial report published on 28.02.2024, confirms the accuracy of the information regarding the company’s officers.

Founders and members:

• Zaostrovnykh Sergey Aleksandrovich – 50%
• Surkov Aleksey Sergeyevich – 35%.

SYNECTA has well-established ties with global giants based in the United States. In the video about the company’s internship, they talk about a large customer base – Boeing, Apple, SpaceX, etc.

Russian technology in the US defense and space sectors

It has led us to even more striking findings testifying the usage of CMT products in the American defense and space industries. We remind you that CMT electronics are identical to Russian products made by Planar, which founded CMT in the US.

CMT enjoys cooperation with Pacific Antenna Systems LLC, which provides it with measurement devices as shared on its official website. PAS manufactures antennas using CMT components, which are identical to Russia’s Planar products.

An American tech firm, Pacific Antenna Systems, informs on its website that it produces satellite communications antenna data sheets, and also radar and high power microwave antennas used in aviation.

Pacific Antenna Systems showcases on its website, among its clients, the US Defense Department. The company praised measurement devices produced by Copper Mountain Technologies in a review on the CMT website:

“Dealing with mm Wave measurements is very difficult, any misalignment can contaminate your measurement. You want to make sure the system is accurate and stable. Rerunning measurements costs you time and money. Data must be easy to manipulate and post process, which is a feature of Copper Mountain Technologies’ USB vector network analyzers. We were pleasantly surprised at how the measurements from the CobaltFx FEV-10 compared to other providers’ measurements. We chose the CMT VNA for the ease of use and cost. We work with all kinds of antennas: radar, electronic warfare, and telecom. These require testing in different types of environments and the size and portability of the FEV-10 frequency extension system allowed for that. Customer support has been superior. The big guys put you in the queue, but Copper Mountain Technologies responds to us quickly, even though we are a small company.”

Pacific Antenna System is one of the CMT partners that has defense contracts. Their cooperation is highlighted in case studies.

“Pacific Antenna Systems is an antenna development company located in Camarillo, California. PAS has an extensive design history, which includes over 70 years of experience in antenna systems design. The company designs antenna solutions for a variety of applications including communications, radar, high-power”, the report says. I was surprised by the equal accuracy and stability that Copper Mountain Technologies provided with a significantly less expensive unit”, says Anthony Macari, Vice President of Pacific Antenna Systems.

The US Defense Department’s statement confirmed the procurement of antennas manufactured by Pacific Antenna Systems, which include CMT-made components,  in a release on its website.

“Following projects to receive funding via the pilot program to APFIT:

Advanced Sensor Package Procurement, United States Navy, Arete Associates, California, Arizona, and Florida.

Accelerates the procurement of a multi-sensor payload for use in unmanned underwater vehicles. Enables the safe passage of U.S. and Allied Naval forces with advanced mine-hunting capabilities.

Anti-Jam Radio-links for Maritime Operations Resiliency, U.S. Marine Corps, Pacific Antenna Systems, Titan Systems LLC, and Naval Systems, IncCalifornia and Maryland.

Initial procurement of small antennas for resilient comms that conform to tactical aircraft outer mold lines. Provides high data rate capacity scalable to support multi-mission needs and connects the National Technical Means to the tactical edge.”

So, it leads us to the conclusion that Russian technology ends up in the US military sector, for example, in the antennas used in aircraft. But not only. It made its way to NASA as well.

Technology supplies for NASA

As NASA informed about tests of new spacecraft propellant gauge on Lunar Lander, and stated that a space-age fuel gauge technology meant to solve this problem will be demonstrated on an upcoming journey to the Moon, CMT boasted the usage of its technology. RFMG technology uses radio waves and antennae in a tank to measure how much propellant is available, the report says. And the antennae come from CMT, founded by Russians who produce identical technology. Here is what Copper Mountain Technologies posted on LinkedIn on its participation in NASA projects:

“We are ‘over the moon’ to learn that NASA’s Radio Frequency Mass Guage (RFMG), which uses a 1-Port VNA from CMT for testing, has reached a critical evaluation point with its upcoming launch to the lunar surface as part of the organization’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.”

CMT contracts for US defense industry

CMT also collaborates with Verus Research, an R&D company, to provide metrology-grade VNAs. Verus Research is a team of scientists and research engineers working in R&D for customers in the federal sector, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and NASA. They are involved in applications such as directed energy, satellite communications, electronic warfare, and RF antenna design.

CMT provides USB vector network analyzers for the defense industry. The company showcases its products that belong to the following NAICS categories: Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing.

The product list includes:

• 5G OTA Antenna Test System for Far Field up to 72cm
• 5G OTA Antenna Test System for Far Field up to 133cm
• 5G OTA Antenna Test System for Far Field up to 193cm

CMT reports on its website that it conducts annual VNA calibration services in its Indianapolis and Cyprus calibration laboratories, accredited in accordance with the recognized international standard ISO/IEC 17025. Let us not forget that that CMT and Russian Planar share a joint Cypriot subsidiary, SYNECTA.

CMT received contracts from defense agencies such as NSWC Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers, the Shared Services Center of NASA, and AFLCMC Wright Patterson AFB according to official records. In 2015, the Air Education and Training Command funded the purchase of a Planar 808/1 vector network analyzer for AFLCMC Wright Patterson AFB from Copper Mountain Technologies under simplified acquisition procedures. As we can see, at that time, CMT was delivering products to US defense agencies under the brand of the Russian Planar. Company’s federal contracts are available here.

CMT-made components for US Air Force

CMT products also made their way to the US Air Force. The company cooperates with Compass Technology Group, which is “focused on applying innovative materials measurement research to products.” According to the CMT website, Compass Technology Group integrates Copper Mountain Technologies’ network analyzers into their probe systems.

The Air Force Research Laboratory published an article detailing the collaboration between AFRL and Compass Technology Group on specialty material techniques. According to the article, the Air Force Research Laboratory and Compass Technology Group signed a cooperative agreement for two projects that have a direct impact on Air Force programs in advanced specialty materials. The collaboration with CTG is also mentioned in the Defense Department’s article titled “Air Force Teams With Industry to Further Aircraft and Radome Coating Research.”

Within the project, AFRL loaned a small-scale microwave mapping transparency sensor system to Compass Technology Group to run tests and conduct further nondestructive evaluation testing on aircraft and radome coatings. The system uses two robotic arms, each with one of Compass Technology’s advanced microwave mapping probes, to scan components for coating measurements. We remember that CMT, which partnered with CTG, is specialized in measurement devices.

Anti-Russia sanctions vs US defense contracts

All the facts prove that the Russian technology company Planar and the American CMT retain their close connection, develop and market identical products for different markets. While Planar is under US sanctions for links with Putin’s war machine, CMT receives contracts with the US defense industry and NASA. These facts require special attention.

The Russian manufacturer working for Putin’s military machine has not been hindered by international sanctions in terms of cooperation or international trade.

This is not surprising, as numerous journalistic investigations have already shown that Russia has found ways to circumvent sanctions by using third countries and shell companies to purchase technology and maintain its military potential. Even a sanctioned company’s joint business in the West is possible, as we can see.

But how this became possible, what are the ways to circumvent the sanctions, how to close them, and how to punish the perpetrators—these are open questions to the competent authorities in the United States. Enforcing the sanctions as soon as possible will prevent Russia from continuing the war and killing innocent Ukrainians.

Investigative author Mike Oaks. English version prepared for the website of the international intelligence community InformNapalm. The Ukrainian version of the investigation is available on Channel 24’s website.

Distribution and reprint with reference to the source is welcome! (Creative Commons – Attribution 4.0 International – CC BY 4.0) InformNapalm social media pages: Facebook / Тwitter / Telegram / Slate (Sl8).

InformNapalm does not receive any financial support from any country’s government or large donors. Only community volunteers and our readers help us to maintain the site. You can become one of the community volunteers. Please support the development of InformNapalm, the unique volunteer intelligence resource, with donations through Buymeacoffee or Patreon.

Read more publications based on the data from Cyber Resistance hacktivists

• Hacking a Russian war criminal, deputy commander of the OMON of the Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Hacking a Russian war criminal, commander of 960th Assault Aviation Regiment
• Hacking Russian Z-volunteer Mikhail Luchin who ordered sex toys for $25,000 instead of drones for the Russian army.
• BagdasarovLeaks: hacking ex-member of the Russian State Duma Semyon Bagdasarov. Iranian gambit
• Hacked: Russian GRU officer wanted by the FBI, leader of the hacker group APT 28
• Hacking “James Bond”: medical service commander of 960th Assault Aviation Regiment doxed key personnel of his own unit
• Hacking Andrey Lugovoy, member of the Russian State Duma, First Deputy Head of the Security Committee
• Ukrainian hacktivists acquired first-ever photo of the GRU hacker unit commander wanted by the FBI for meddling in the U.S. election
• New evidence of collaboration of former Slovak Justice Minister Štefan Harabin with the Russian Federation
• Hacking Colonel Leonid Rusin, ex-commander of Russian AWACS unit
• Ukrainian hackers posted lists and documents of the Russian 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade (TOP-10 files)
• Economic summit Russia–Africa 2023 databases hacked by Ukrainian hacktivists
• Hacking Lieutenant Colonel Kasatkin, Russian war criminal, head of Combat Training of A-50 early warning aircraft, military unit 41520
• BabakovLeaks: hacking Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma
• Cuban mercenaries fighting against Ukraine on the Russian side – Ukrainian hacktivists collected evidence
• Hacked: Russian pilot reveals schemes of weapons supply from Iran, South Africa and Mali to Russia
• Hacking the Infocomms Department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Katyusha and the secrets of General Konashenkov
• CYBINT investigation: how the Orlan-10 manufacturer imports parts bypassing sanctions
• Hacking assistant to vice-speaker of the Russian State Duma: agents of influence in Serbia and media campaigns in the EU
• Hacktivists uncovered new classified documents from STC, Russian manufacturer of Orlan-10 drones
• Hacking assistant to vice-speaker of the Russian State Duma: agents of influence in Serbia and media campaigns in the EU
• Data leakage from the Kremlin administration – what lies ahead for Russia after the elections?