A senior Russian nuclear official holds a major stake in a Czech company that manufactures industrial heating equipment, according to a joint investigation by The Insider and Investigace.cz published on October 23, 2025. The report says Alexander Petrov, deputy director of the sanctioned Russian Federal Nuclear Center—responsible for developing more than half of the country’s nuclear arsenal—owns 43% of the Czech firm Roboterm, which produces induction heaters for metal processing. Until 2022, one of Roboterm’s biggest clients was the Russian truck manufacturer KamAZ.
Dual-use technologies and Russian defense links
Petrov’s Russian company, Reltek, supplies similar heating systems to defense manufacturers, including producers of Iskander and Topol-M missiles, as well as to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics (VNIITF), one of Russia’s two key nuclear weapons design centers under the Rosatom state corporation. Reltek is listed in Russia’s closed register of defense enterprises that fulfill state defense contracts. Its technology—induction heating systems used in forging and hardening—has dual-use potential and can be applied in the production of missile components, artillery barrels, and armored vehicle parts.
Contracts and cross-border technology access
Reltek has continued supplying defense-related equipment even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, the company installed a melting unit at KEMZ Concern in Kizlyar, which produces artillery shell detonators, and provided equipment to two Roscosmos enterprises: the Votkinsk Plant and Proton-PM. The Votkinsk facility manufactures Iskander-M and Topol-M ballistic missiles. Petrov, who has long combined state service with private business, acquired his Roboterm stake in 2005, gaining access to advanced European induction technologies. He has owned 43% of RT s.r.o.—the parent of Roboterm—since that year.
Weak sanctions control in Czech Republic
Investigace.cz and The Insider report that the Czech Republic’s sanctions oversight remains insufficient, allowing products from Czech firms to reach Russia via intermediaries, including Turkey. Petrov reportedly told Investigace.cz that “the situation may improve with the victory of Andrej Babiš’s party in the elections.” Czech and EU authorities have been urged to tighten scrutiny over Russian ownership and financial flows in the defense sector to prevent potential sanctions evasion.
Possible EU and Czech investigation
Experts cited in the investigation say there are strong grounds for launching inquiries into Petrov’s activities in both the Czech Republic and at the EU level. His simultaneous role in Russia’s state defense sector and ownership of a Czech technology firm could constitute a breach of sanctions regulations. Authorities may consider freezing his assets or restricting ownership rights in Roboterm pending the outcome of such investigations.
