Finnish Customs are investigating the cargo of structural steel found on board the vessel Fitburg, that has been detained as part of a wider investigation into suspected damage to an undersea cable that runs between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The Russian steel was on board the vessel that departed St Petersburg before the ship was detained. The steel is subject to import prohibitions under the EU’s Russian sanctions.
Prosecutors in Germany have settled their investigation and prosecution of Alisher Usmanov for suspected breaches of EU sanctions.
The settlement involves a payment of €10 million but no admission of liability.
The investigation related to allegations of payments made by or on behalf Usmanov, a designated person, in relation the provision of security for two properties in Germany.
It is being reported (here and here) that Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service and the State Security Department, with coordinating assistance from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, are undertaking an investigation into suspected breaches of the EU’s Russian and Belarus sanctions by Lithuanian, Russian and Belarus individuals.
It is alleged that those involved forged documents to obtain funding from the EU Space Agency, and that the money was then used (with other funds) by a company incorporated in Lithuania to obtain and export microchips, semiconductors, navigation systems, and other technical devices to Russia and Belarus.
In total 10 raids were conducted, and 5 individuals and one company are under investigation.
After a Russian vessel had engine trouble and entered Swedish territorial waters, Swedish Customs boarded the vessel and commenced an investigation into whether possible sanctions or export control offences may have been committed.
The vessel, the Adler, is designated under EU sanctions, and the owner sanctioned by the US. It is reported that the cargo included arms and military equipment.
It is now being reported that the vessel has been allowed to depart Swedish waters, after the Prosecutor’s Office declined to open a criminal investigation, on the basis that there was no intent to bring the vessel or its goods into Sweden.
It is being reported that Latvia’s State Security Service conducted a number of raids, and arrested an individual suspected of breaching the EU’s sanctions against Russia.
It is being reported that the individual is Viktors Guščins, who is alleged to have provided an economic resource to a designated person in the form of publications and propaganda material.
After a six-week trial, verdict in the Lafarge prosecution is now expected on 13 April 2026.
The Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a fine of €1.125 million, as well as a fine of €4.57 million that is directly related to the alleged breaches of EU sanctions.
The prosecution is also seeking lengthy jail terms for the eight individual defendants of between 18 months and 8 years, including 6 years for the former CEO, as well as a €225,000 fine and a 10-year ban on serving in any management position in a company.
The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation has published a report on its first year of operations.
In relation to enforcement it says that it has “a number of investigations underway”, and that it has “referred a significant number of cases to HMRC and other government partners”.
No other information is provided, although further information is promised in the 2026 Annual Report.
It is being reported in an article published in trans.info that the German authorities currently have approximately 6000 criminal proceedings for sanctions offences that are ongoing.
This number is said to be specific to the EU’s Russian and Belarusian sanctions regimes.
No further information is provided on the status of the cases.
Latvia’s VDD has asked the Prosecution Office to commence a prosecution of a latvian national for providing prohibited services to companies in Russia.
As per the press release: “DD found that the Latvian citizen had entered into employment contracts with multiple companies registered in Russia, where the person held the positions of general director and director and directly gave prohibited consultations on economic activities, management and taxation”.
This prosecution is one of several recently launched in Latvia (see our earlier post) in relation to alleged breaches of the prohibitions contained in regulation 5n of 833/2014.
The UK’s Gambling Commission has fined Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Limited, trading as Betfred £825,000.
While much of the fine relates to player welfare and AML issues, it is being reported that part of the fine relates to the lack of an “effective policy for identifying and handling customers who might be subject to financial sanctions”.
This is not the first fine by the Gambling Commission related to sanctions compliance, as two other operators were fined in April 2024.
