INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Izovac, a Belarusian company specializing in vacuum deposition technology, has long been a supplier to major global tech firms like Apple,
contractors since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) has found.The
investigation was conducted in collaboration with C4ADS, IStories, 15min.lt and Skhemy, and supported by Cyberpartisans.Founded in 1992 by
the Minsk Radiotechnical Institute and several of its alumni, Izovac began as a scientific and technical firm
was integral to the production of early iMacs, and according to a World Bank report, about half of the touch screens for the iPhone and iPad
years ago.By 2020, Izovac held about 20% of the global market share in supplying vacuum deposition equipment for touchscreens
In addition to Apple, Izova? counted major global brands like Tesla, Samsung, LG and Sharp among its clients.Gradually, Izovac transitioned
to assembling production lines for clients
It expanded and developed a diversified structure: it would develop a technology, nurture it for a while and then spin it off into a
separate company.One of these subsidiaries is the Belarusian firm Izotek-M, which specializes in mechanical processing and manufacturing of
etching systems are used for producing microchips, a vital and scarce component in Russia's military technology.The sale circumvented U.S
export controls and violating sanctions imposed by both the U.S
Inzhiniring Grupp's owner, Sergei Yanovich, was previously associated with Izovac.?The BIC discovered at least 30 Russian
military-industrial enterprises among the clients of two other Izovac subsidiaries, InterNanoTechnologii and Izovac
to their wartime partners, with an analysis of customs data showing that the vast majority of the components supplied were labeled as made
in Belarus.The equipment that Izovac and InterNanoTechnologii delivered to Russian companies plays a vital role in military production,
Olena Bilousova, an expert from the Kyiv School of Economics, told the BIC and the Skhemy project."Supplying such equipment is prohibited
This is very important because it's this access [to purchases] that allows Russia to create new capabilities, meaning expanding production
full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Izovac's revenue has doubled each year: it stood at 13 million Belarusian rubles ($5.1 million) in 2021, 27
million ($10.3 million) in 2022 and 53 million ($17.7 million) in 2023
In 2024, the company's revenue grew by 36% to 72 million ($22.2 million).The BIC estimates that companies within the Izovac group have
critical to the production of precision weapons, including components for Kalibr cruise missiles.?Despite its Belarusian roots, Izovac has
defense conglomerate Rostec and a figure close to President Vladimir Putin.The BIC investigation revealed that key individuals involved in
monitor companies associated with Belarus and Russia that position themselves as independent, but these should be adjusted, Laurynas
For my part, I will certainly do everything possible as a member of parliament to approach the relevant institutions and ask them to
international clients, as well as to the companies in the group and their owners
At the time of publishing this investigation, it had not received any responses
Vladimir Shiripov, one of the founders of Izovac, and Sergei Yanovich, the owner of Inzhiniring Grupp, declined to speak with the BIC.This
is an abridged version of an investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Center.
