When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many Western companies announced that they were cutting ties with the Russian market. But according to a recent investigation by The Insider, Beretta Holding’s relationship with one of its longtime Russian business partners may have continued well after the invasion began, and Beretta-made firearms are still showing up in Russia years later.
The investigation alleges that Pietro Gussalli Beretta, CEO of Beretta Holding, served on the board of Russian Eagle LLC throughout 2022, even as the company imported thousands of Beretta Holding firearms into Russia after sanctions and export restrictions were imposed following the invasion. Additionally, Beretta Holding reportedly retains a 57-percent ownership stake in Russian Eagle.
Arming Russian Soldiers
According to customs and certification records, Russian Eagle imported 3,919 Beretta Holding firearms between March and September 2022, after Russia’s invasion had begun. The firearms included products manufactured by Beretta, Benelli, Franchi, Stoeger, and other companies within the Beretta Holding family. Between March 2022 and February 2024, Russian importers registered at least 15,337 Western-made firearms, and nearly 40 percent of them — 6,064 firearms — were produced by Beretta Holding companies.
After the invasion, Beretta publicly announced that it had suspended exports to Russia, yet the timeline presented by The Insider suggests that Beretta Holding’s leadership remained connected to Russian Eagle while thousands of Beretta-made firearms entered the country during the first year of the war. The apparent disconnect between the company’s public statements and the documented timeline raises questions about when Beretta’s operational ties to Russian Eagle actually ended.
While many of the imported firearms were marketed as hunting shotguns, the investigation found that the shipments also included more than 1,000 Franchi bolt-action rifles designed for precision shooting and military applications as well as tactical shotguns. The Insider report documents multiple instances in which Benelli semi-automatic shotguns were used in Russian military tactical competitions focused on countering first-person-view (FPV) drones and in the country’s 2026 Victory Day parade. Russian military personnel quoted in the investigation praised the imported Italian shotguns over comparable domestically produced alternatives.
The report also identifies Beretta-owned Finnish manufacturers Sako and Tikka as significant suppliers of precision rifles that have appeared in Russian sniper competitions and among Russian security units. According to The Insider, several Russian importers continued bringing Sako and Tikka rifles into the country after the invasion, including companies linked to Beretta’s longtime Russian business associates.
Cracking Down on Russian Eagle
This is not the first time Beretta’s Russian dealings have drawn scrutiny. In February 2024, a joint investigation by The Insider and Italy’s IRPI Media alleged that Western firearms and ammunition continued reaching Russia through intermediary companies despite sanctions. The United States subsequently sanctioned Russian Eagle in June 2024, and U.S. authorities arrested multiple individuals accused of facilitating illegal firearm and ammunition exports to Russia through third countries.
In a hearing before Italy’s Chamber of Deputies in February 2026, Beretta executives were questioned about reports that thousands of their firearms had reached Russia throughout the war but maintained that no more than 15 hunting shotguns had entered the country following the invasion. When a lawmaker asked the executives about a news story alleging that 6,000 firearms had entered Russia, the hearing was brought to a close before additional questions could be asked.
According to The Insider, shipments associated with Beretta’s Russian business network continued even into 2026. Certification records indicate that Benelli Argo rifles were delivered to a Russian company linked to Beretta’s longtime business partner in March 2026.
Beretta’s Response
When asked to comment on the investigation, Beretta Holding representatives said that they “reject any attempt to distort our group’s position or undermine its reputation,” and that Russian Eagle had been “excluded from consolidated reporting as soon as this became legally and practically possible.” They also told The Insider that all Beretta Holding companies had ceased commercial activity with the Russian market and questioned the reliability of some of the certification records cited in the investigation, pointing to the existence of counterfeit goods and fabricated documentation.
If The Insider’s findings are accurate, thousands of Beretta Holding firearms entered Russia for years following the invasion of Ukraine, raising serious questions about the company’s oversight of its overseas business relationships and whether its departure from the Russian market is as complete as it has claimed.