Russian Firm Distributes U.S.-Made Lab Equipment to Internal Affairs Ministry
ECA Service LLC, a privately owned, Saint Petersburg-based company that specializes in supplies for physical and chemical laboratories, is a recognized distributor for two U.S.-based developers of lab equipment, according to the developers’ websites.
ECA Service has received millions of dollars worth of lab equipment from European subsidiaries of its U.S. partners while doing business with other Russian military end users, trade and tender data shows.
ECA Service, in mid-to-late 2020, executed a contract to send products manufactured by its U.S.-based partners to the forensic center of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, tender data shows. In recent years, ECA Service received shipments of lab equipment from Europe-based subsidiaries of the two U.S. firms. The shipments continued until at least April 2020, and totaled more than USD 16 million, trade records show.
From September 2016 to October 2017, ECA Service also completed five contracts worth RUB 8.3 million (about USD 144,000 at the time) to supply the 27th Scientific Center with equipment for chemical analysis, though it is unclear from tender data whether ECA Service provided U.S.-brand products to the 27th Scientific Center. The 27th Scientific Center, a research institute sanctioned by the U.S., has been involved with Russian chemical weapons research and testing activity, the U.S. State Department said.
