Czech-Austrian industrial group Hennlich continues its business in Russia, supplying military plants under international sanctions

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The Czech-Austrian industrial conglomerate Hennlich continues to operate in Russia through a local subsidiary that does business with defense manufacturers — including several that are under EU and U.S. sanctions. A joint investigation by The Insider and the Czech publication Investigace.cz has revealed who owns the corporation’s Russian subsidiary, LLC Hennlich (ООО «Хеннлих»), and how the company supports Russia’s military-industrial complex amid the ongoing full-scale invasion of in Ukraine.

Hennlich in Europe and Russia

Founded in 1922 by Hermann A. Hennlich in Duchcov, a town of 8,700 in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic, Hennlich Group is a private company that manufactures technical components and industrial solutions for a wide range of sectors. It employs around 800 people across 18 European countries. Its headquarters is located in Schärding, Austria.

In Russia, the group operates through its subsidiary LLC Hennlich, based in Tver. According to Russia’s Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL), the company’s founders are Austria’s Hennlich Group GmbH, Pavel Šumera (co-owner of the Czech firm Hennlich s.r.o.), and Hennlich s.r.o. employee Jan Studnička. They hold 45%, 45%, and 10% of the company’s charter capital, respectively. LLC Hennlich also has branches in Kemerovo and Yekaterinburg. The Russia-based subsidiary employed 57 people as of the end of 2024.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, LLC Hennlikh’s revenue has remained relatively stable: 405.5 million rubles in 2022 (approx. $5.12 million), 463.3 million in 2023 (approx. $5.85 million), and 379.8 million in 2024 (approx. $4.79 million). While the company has its own production facility in Tver, the bulk of its Russian revenue comes from reselling imported components. In 2023, it earned only 37.7 million rubles from its own products — compared to 425.6 million from selling goods made by other firms. By all indications, Hennlich plans to keep its operations in Russia running — it signed three new vehicle lease agreements in 2023-2024.

The Russian firm’s financial ties to its European owners are also evident. In 2023, dividends were paid out to LLC Hennlich’s shareholders: Pavel Šumera received 3.29 million rubles, Hennlich Group GmbH received 3.11 million, and Jan Studnička received 732,000. Hermann Zebisch, owner of Hennlich Group GmbH, who had previously issued two loans to the Russian subsidiary, received €24,000 in repayment and €4,401 in interest.

Supplying the Russian defense industry

EU sanctions target European companies and do not directly apply to Russian entities like LLC Hennlich. However, Šumera, Studnička, and Zebisch — as Czech and Austrian nationals — are prohibited from doing business with sanctioned individuals and companies. Despite this, their Russian firm continues to work with military enterprises.