Caterpillar Quietly Uses Russia as Shipping Route After Pullback

Caterpillar Inc. continues to use Russia as a supply-chain route, even after the company said it had suspended business with the country.

The construction machinery giant’s continued use of Russia for moving parts and equipment sheds new light on already-fragile global supply chains. It also shows how dependent the European Union and China are on shipping routes that traverse Europe’s largest nation by landmass.

An internal document outlining Caterpillar’s logistics and supply-chain activities, seen by Bloomberg, says the company’s rail shipments crossing Russia between Europe and China are operating as normal. Caterpillar began relying more on rail freight through Russia ...