Companies registered in Lithuania have been used to help bypass international sanctions and gain access to Western technologies, according to the latest national security threat assessment released by the State Security Department of Lithuania and the Second Investigation Department under the Ministry of National Defence.
The annual report names three companies – BK Software, NTLab and Kosminis Vytis – as examples of how Russian and Belarusian-linked actors have used businesses in Lithuania to evade sanctions and acquire sensitive technologies.
According to the report, such schemes often involve reviving companies that have had little or no recent business activity.
Company linked to sanctioned supplier
One case cited in the report concerns BK Software, a Vilnius-based firm established in 2004 that previously operated under the name Baltijos kogeneracija until 2012.
The company is currently led and owned by Russian citizen Elena Lupandina, though until last November it was controlled by her husband, Kiril Lupandin.
Lithuanian intelligence says Lupandin’s activities illustrate how Russian citizens seeking to bypass international sanctions attempt to reactivate dormant businesses.
Investigators found that BK Software established business ties with Hong Kong–registered Asia Pacific Links Limited, owned by Russian national Anton Tromifov.
The company is under sanctions by the European Union and the United States and is considered one of the largest suppliers of microelectronics components used by Russian companies to produce Orlan drone unmanned aerial vehicles.
Lithuanian intelligence said it was “almost certain” that BK Software knowingly cooperated with the Hong Kong company while aware that the equipment would ultimately reach Russian entities.
The report also states that Lupandin had contacts with a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service involved in technical penetration operations targeting foreign computer and telecommunications networks.
At the initiative of Lithuanian intelligence, authorities determined that Lupandin’s presence in Lithuania posed a threat to national security.
He previously served as head of another Lithuanian-registered firm, AmberCore DC, in 2013–2014. That company and another firm, Arcus Novus, had planned to build a data centre near Vilnius, but the project was halted after the companies were deemed a national security risk.
According to official records, BK Software is listed as operating in computer programming. The company currently has one employee. In 2024 it reported revenue of €268,000 and net profit of €22,000.
Lithuanian intelligence says about 50% of entities involved in organising sanctions evasion schemes are controlled by Belarusian citizens, 31% by Russian citizens and 19% by random individuals.
Lithuanian identity used as cover
The report also highlights two technology-sector companies – NTLab and Kosminis Vytis – which investigators say were used as cover to develop and acquire Western technologies potentially applicable to both civilian and military industries.
“Russia and its ally Belarus seek to develop and obtain Western technologies through companies established abroad,” the report states. “Their interest in acquiring Western technology remains very high.”
Intelligence services found that entities linked to the Russian and Belarusian defence industries used the Lithuanian companies to build connections with foreign firms and access technologies.
“These companies operated in a strategically important high-technology sector for Lithuania and cooperated with entities in Russia and Belarus supporting those countries’ defence industries,” the report said.
NTLab, founded in Vilnius in 2000 under the name Almena, is currently headed by Belarusian citizen Dmitri Tcherniakovski. Its shareholder is his daughter, Daria Tcherniakovskaya, a US citizen.
The company previously attracted attention after challenging the Lithuanian government in court over a decision declaring it a national security threat. Media reports earlier said NTLab had received European funding to develop a high-precision navigation device for the agricultural sector.
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Kosminis Vytis, a newer company established in Vilnius in 2017 under the name Džiunglių upė, is led by Belarusian citizen Nikolai Tcherniakovski, whose sister Daria is the company’s shareholder.
Lithuanian intelligence believes that Dmitri Tcherniakovski set up the companies’ business infrastructure in Lithuania and managed them together with his children.
According to the report, the family maintained ties in Russia and Belarus despite claiming otherwise, overseeing affiliated companies and maintaining contacts with organisations linked to the Russian and Belarusian defence sectors.
Investigators say Nikolai Tcherniakovski also led companies in Russia, including Navitron and Sains-tech. The wider business group also included Belarusian firms SoftSistemz, NaviIS and MikroDizain.
Companies linked to the group in Russia and Belarus participated in military-related programs and cooperated with defence-sector institutions, including the Military Academy of Belarus, the LEMT Scientific and Technical Center, Skolkovo Innovation Center, the Modul Scientific and Technical Center and Russian semiconductor manufacturer Mikron, many of which are under international sanctions.
Despite these links, NTLab and Kosminis Vytis presented themselves to partners and clients as Lithuanian companies with no ties to the governments in Moscow or Minsk.
“However, the Lithuanian identity served merely as a cover,” the report states, adding that the companies’ activities created opportunities for sanctioned Russian and Belarusian entities to gain access to technologies developed in Lithuania and other countries.
Authorities moved to restrict operations
In spring 2025, Lithuanian intelligence informed national authorities and initiated a review of the companies by the government’s commission responsible for protecting entities important to national security.
As a result, both companies can no longer operate in Lithuania’s strategically important high-technology sector.
Official records show that in 2024 NTLab reported revenue of €3.6 million and net profit of €544,000, while Kosminis Vytis recorded €470,000 in revenue and €44,000 in net profit.
Currently, NTLab has one employee and Kosminis Vytis has two, according to social insurance data.
Lithuanian intelligence agencies say the most important factor shaping the country’s overall security environment remains Russia’s long-term decision to expand and, if necessary, use military power.
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