Swiss ammunition manufacturer Swiss P Defence's sniper rounds found their way to Ukraine through Poland in July 2023, breaching Switzerland's neutrality principles and arms export regulations.
According to an audit report by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), 645,000 rounds of sniper ammunition were initially exported to Polish company UMO SP, which subsequently transferred the shipment to Ukraine within four days.
The delivery included 145,000 rounds of 0.338-caliber and 500,000 rounds of 0.308-caliber sniper ammunition. The transfer violated Switzerland's arms embargo and its stance against providing military support to countries engaged in armed conflicts.
Swiss P Defence, formerly known as Ruag Ammotec and based in Thun, maintained it had no prior knowledge of the ammunition's final destination. The company had received proper export approval from SECO in November 2022 and May 2023 based on Polish import licenses.
The Swiss manufacturer had established preventive measures through a framework agreement with the Polish company, restricting resale to specific entities within Polish territory, including state authorities, private security firms, weapons manufacturers, and sports organizations.
In response to the violation, SECO has suspended all future export authorizations to the Polish company UMO SP indefinitely. The current status of the ammunition's deployment in Ukraine remains unknown.
This incident highlights the challenges of enforcing Swiss neutrality policies in international arms trades and raises questions about the effectiveness of end-user verification processes.