Mark Handley – European Sanctions Enforcement

November 6, 2026November 6, 2026 by Mark Handley

Poland – five charged with manufacturing and exporting military drones to Russia

Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release detailing charges brought against five people – three Belarusian citizens, a woman with Polish and Ukrainian citizenship, and a Polish citizen.

The suspects are accused of manufacturing and then exporting military-grade drones to Russia between 2022 and 2025.

The investigation was conducted under the supervision of the prosecutor by the Criminal Proceedings Department of the Internal Security Agency in Warsaw.

Charges of money laundering and of establishing and leading an organized criminal group have also been brought.

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 by Mark Handley

Belgium – investigation into suspected breaches of Myanmar sanctions

It is being reported that Belgium’s Federal Public Service (FPS) Finance is investigating whether breaches of the EU’s Myanmar sanctions have taken place.

The investigation arises out of Monde Selection, the consumer goods awards company, including products in its award selection made by a Myanmar beverage company owned by sanctioned state-owned companies.

The company says it has severed all contact and revoked awards issued as well as removing the products from its website. A spokesperson is quoted as saying that it was unaware of the sanctioned status of the producer at the time.

It is unclear whether the investigation relates to the receipt of fees from the Myanmar company, or whether the view is being taken that the publicity provided to the sanctioned entity would constitute “economic resources” comparable to an OFSI fine imposed in 2022. In that case the publicity afforded to a sanctioned entity by including its wine in a competition was said to amount to making an “economic resource” available to a designated person.

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 by Mark Handley

Germany – trial begins of company and two individuals charged with sanctioned exports to Russia via China

It is being reported that a 15-day trial started yesterday in Cologne Regional Court of a German company based in Wermelskirchen and of two individuals. One of the individuals, aged 84, is a German national. The other is a Chinese national.

They are accused of shipping sanctioned goods to Russia via China and Chinese front companies.

The goods are said to be valued at over €1 million and to have consisted of drives and what are described as “milling heads”.

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 by Mark Handley

Poland – raids on 21 premises and 6 arrested in investigation related to suspected export of military goods to Russia

It is being reported that Poland Internal Security Agency (see also their press release) has raided 21 premises in the Warmian-Masurian, Pomeranian and Wielkopolskie regions since Saturday.

With thanks to Dr Marcin Lukowski for providing the blog with the details of this enforcement action. All such information sharing is encouraged and will be name-checked.

As part of the raids six people have been arrested: five Polish nationals and one Russian national.

The group are alleged to have been exporting significant quantities of components used in the production of ammunition and weapons systems.

The investigation is also considering espionage offences.

Four of the suspects have been remanded in custody for three months and the other two have been released subject to preventative measures.

November 2, 2026November 2, 2026 by Mark Handley

Estonia – Customs enforcement statistics for sanctions since 2025

Estonia’s Customs body issued a press release back in August, detailing its enforcement actions in relation to Russian and Belarusian sanctions since the start of 2025.

1.05 million customs checks of which 47,000 were trucks and vehicles.
8143 violations detected averaging 13 per day, mostly relating to the attempted export of cash and/or consumer goods.
1017 misdemeanour proceedings commenced, of which 931 have reached a decision.
The average fine across the 931 determined cases was €269, for a total of just over €250,000.
146 criminal proceedings commenced, for the more serious conduct.

November 2, 2026November 5, 2026 by Mark Handley

Czechia – company and four senior managers settle prosecution re allegations of exporting mining machinery to Russia

The Czech Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced the settlement of a prosecution relating to allegations of the indirect export of 7 items of mining machinery to Russia.

The company, Ferrit Ltd, has agreed to pay €1,058,635 as assistance towards the victims of crime as part of the settlement, alongside a probationary period of 12 months.

Originally six senior managers were also included in the investigation. The settlement included plea agreements with four of the managers with fines ranging from 150,000 to 500,000 crowns (€6,100 to €20,500). These pleas are subject to a requirement for court approval. The prosecutions of the other two managers were discontinued.

The case is the first instance of the Czech authorities using their new non-prosecution style powers.

November 2, 2026November 2, 2026 by Mark Handley

Italy – investigation into Italian national suspected of providing Crimea tourism services

It is being reported that Italy’s Financial Security Committee is investigating the case of Italian national, Marco Maggi, who is resident in Russia.

The allegation is that he operates a company that provides tourism services, and in particular hunting trips, in Crimea in contravention of the EU’s sanctions.

Article 2(d) of EU Regulation 692/2014 reads: “It shall be prohibited to provide services directly related to tourism activities in Crimea or Sevastopol”.

October 29, 2026November 3, 2026 by Mark Handley

Estonia – Customs enforcement data for Russian sanctions since June 2026

Further to comparable previous posts, the weekly updates from Estonian Customs have given examples of a range of enforcement actions, including many blocked exports and imports.

The commencement of four misdemeanour proceedings were commenced, primarily for the export of significant amounts in euro banknotes.

The updates also provide the details of nine on-the-spot fines imposed totalling €3876

October 19, 2026October 19, 2026 by Mark Handley

Norway – investigation into possible sanctions breaches by automotive company dismissed

Further to our earlier post, the Norwegian company Kongsberg Automotive has issued a press release stating that the investigation by Norway’s Police Security Service had been closed without any further action being taken.

The allegations had related to the company’s part being resold into Russia. The company’s press release quotes the Police Security Service as having stated:

“The case has been dismissed because no criminal offence is considered proven. This means that the result of the investigation speaks with particular strength against the fact that a criminal offence has been committed.”

The company notes that it fully cooperated with the investigation which started in June 2025 and which also involved the Directorate for Export Control and Sanctions (DEKSA) and Norwegian Customs.

October 19, 2026October 19, 2026 by Mark Handley

France – Belarusian couple convicted for transporting euros

It is being reported that a Belarusian couple aged 40 and 39 have been convicted in absentia in relation to a stop of their vehicle conducted in August 2022.

The couple were stopped upon entering France from Switzerland and were found to have had an undeclared amount of €11,925, as well as a small amount of drugs.

The couple sought to explain that the euros were intended for a vehicle purchase, but could provide no evidence on this.

On the basis of the prohibitions in EU regulation 765/2006 against exporting EU currency to a Belarus person, the physical currency was confiscated and a fine of the same amount of €11,925 was imposed.