Finnish Customs probes 5.9 million euro Russia sanctions breach

Finnish Customs suspects that goods worth about 5.9 million euros were illegally exported to Russia in 2022 and 2023, Yle reports.

Representatives of two companies in eastern Finland are suspected of arranging the shipments in breach of sanctions. According to Customs, one company handled the export arrangements while the other stored the goods.

The exporting company told Customs that the products were being sent to Kazakhstan and Turkey. Information obtained during the preliminary investigation indicates that they were instead transported to Russia.

The goods included hydraulic pumps, engines and various valves. Exporting the products to Russia has been prohibited under European Union sanctions regulations since July 2022.

Customs suspects two people of an aggravated regulatory offence. The preliminary investigation is nearing completion, and the case is expected to be referred to the prosecution district for Eastern Finland by the end of the year.

One of the suspects is also a defendant in four other regulatory offence cases investigated by Customs. Those cases are pending before the South Karelia District Court.