Western-made electronics used by the Russian military are reaching Moscow in a scheme involving Central Asia and the Lithuanian port of Klaipėda, an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has found.
In the report by RFE/RL published on June 22, journalists found that dual-use tech bound for the Russian military transits through Lithuania.
According to one Kyrgyz import-export organiser, who identified himself only as Andrei, goods made in the United States typically arrive in Klaipėda and then move to Russia, despite customs records showing the equipment being destined for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In reality, the goods never reach Central Asia.
"So the Russians pay in Bishkek. They can pay you. Then you pay us. We have to pay for the logistics and for the goods. And then they receive the goods at a warehouse in Russia without going through Bishkek,” he said.
"On paper, it all goes through Bishkek, [but] the goods go straight to Russia,"" he added.
Further reading
However, RFE/RL did not say whether Andrei presented any figures to show, or prove, the scale of circumvention taking place via the Klaipėda port. How much of the sanctioned goods transit Lithuania's main port is also unclear, as RFE/RL also say ports in Poland, Latvia, and Finland are part of the scheme.
"Currently, there is a growing trend where the declared destination country of goods and its business entities are not [under sanctions], but there are reasonable suspicions that such goods may end up where they do not belong," the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a written reply to LRT.lt.
"Lithuania is preparing to adopt a list of goods that will be subject to stricter controls," the ministry said. "This measure will complement the additional requirements introduced by customs at the beginning of June, which will tighten the procedure for transporting goods to third countries."
‘Baltic bypass’
In another scheme dubbed by RFE/RL the “Baltic Bypass”, goods destined for the Russian military are channelled via a front company in Latvia run by a dual Russian-Lithuanian national, Jan Volk.
A Kazakh firm, Kompaniya Elektroniks, was founded in 2015 by Russian affiliates of the prominent Russian electronics and technology supplier ITC. According to a company's presentation, it receives tech from more than two dozen Western companies. These imports began after February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Two of the company's Western-sanctioned clients, Russia’s Elektropribor and Avrora, produce technology for Russian warships, while another client, Dukhov Automatics Research Institute, designs nuclear warheads.
The components have been shipped since August 2022 via a Latvian cargo company, OTK Group based in Riga, “at the request” of Kompaniya Elektroniks, an affiliated of ITC. Reporters found its offices showing no sign of economic activity.
OTK Group’s top trading partners include Russian electronics importers Kvazar and Spetsvoltazh, both of which were sanctioned by Washington in May along with their Estonian-registered supplier, Elmec Trade.
The group’s shipments list both Latvia and Russia as the country of origin, and the "cargo delivery point" as Helsinki, RFE/RL wrote.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
