Estonia – four criminal convictions for Russian sanctions offences

The website containing published judgments from the Estonian courts has published a number of judgments relating to convictions for sanctions offences.

1. Conviction of Adilov Mubariz on 23 July 2025

      Decision: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/kohtulahendid/detailid.html?id=413740161

      This individual was convicted of importing a few hundred Russian cigarettes into Estonia in breach of Article 3(i)(1) of EU Regulation 833/2014. This was a second offence.

      The man was given a 3-month jail term, suspended for a 12-month probation period, and ordered to pay €798.42.

      2. Conviction of Alus Grupp OÜ and Taras Potapov on 18 September 2025

      Decision: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/kohtulahendid/detailid.html?id=419399125

      Mr Popatov was convicted of aiding and abetting the provision of a service related to a prohibited strategic good, namely resonance testing machines used in the aviation and aerospace industries. These are dual use goods

      The company Alus Grupp is a freight forwarder and Mr Popatov was one of its directors.

      Another Estonian company and its director purchased the equipment from a supplier in Switzerland and sold them to Russian customers. The invoices showed that the intended ultimate customer was a Russian company. Alus Grupp and its director, being aware of the ultimate customer, on multiple occasions transported the goods to Kazakhstan. On other occasions an intermediary based in the UAE was inserted.

      Mr Popatov was convicted. At the time of his conviction he had already served 5 months in jail. Pursuant to an agreement with the prosecution, the remainder of his 5-year sentence was suspended subject to a 5-year probation period. He was also ordered to pay a penalty of €2,215.

      The company was also convicted and given a fine of €100,000 with a further €200,000 suspended for a 5-year probation period.

      The judgment gives a detailed account of the exporting arrangements. It appears that other prosecutions of the actual exporting parties are ongoing.

      3. Conviction of Anna Shmeljova on 14 October 2025

      Decision: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/kohtulahendid/detailid.html?id=422536761

      Ms Shmeljova was convicted of multiple offences including exporting luxury goods to Russia, namely clothing and hockey skates, and importing cigarettes.

      She was ordered to pay €2,215, and given a five-month jail sentence suspended for a one year probation period.

      4. Conviction of Marine Technics Baltia OÜ and Daniil Haitin on 5 November 2025

      Decision: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/kohtulahendid/detailid.html?id=424933869

      Mr Haitin was convicted of four offences and sentenced to 4 years and eleven months in jail. This sentence was suspended for a 5 year probation period. He was ordered to pay €2,215.

      The company Marine Technics was convicted of two offences and ordered to pay €160,000, as well as €13,251.65.

      The offences related to exports of gas generators, alternators, propulsion systems, thermal cameras and other equipment to Russia, including to military end-users such as Kalashnikov Concern, and the Russian Ministry of Defence.

      False end-user certificates were prepared showing purported customers in Turkey.

      The offending had taken place between 2017 and 2019.

      The judgment notes that the court had prevented the merger or winding up of Marine Technics Baltia OÜ for the duration of the investigation in order to be able to secure a conviction and penalty.

      The judgment gives a detailed account of the exporting arrangements.

      Ireland – multiple cash seizures related to sanctions circumvention network

      It is being reported that the Gardaí have conducted multiple cash seizures targetting a criminal network used for laundering money and sanctions circumvention.

      The seizures value €1.36m and took place in multiple operations in Dublin and Leitrim in April and October this year.

      It is alleged that the network “cleaned” the proceeds from ilegal activity and turned it into crypto currency. It is also alleged that the network provided sanctions circumvention services to the Russian state.

      The Irish seizures were part of the broader Operation Destabilise which involved the UK’s National Crime Agency (see our post).

      United Kingdom – National Crime Agency operation targetting sanctions circumvention network

      The National Crime Agency has issued a press release relating to Operation Stabilise, which is targetted a criminal money laundering network that was also used to aid the circumvention of sanctions by Russia.

      The NCA states that 45 money launderers have been arrested in the UK, and £25m seized in the UK, with international partners seizing $24m and €2.6m and arresting another 83 people.

      The NCA notes the alleged involvement of networks called Smart and TGR and that a company linked to TGR’s head had purchased a 75% stake in a previously state-owned Kyrgyzstan bank – Keremet Bank – which was then used as part of the evasion/circumvention network.

      The NCA reports a number of convictions for money laundering offences of individuals involved in the networks, and that the head of the Smart network is currently in custody in France.

      The operation involved cooperation with the DEA, and FBI in the US, the Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire in France, the Jersey Police, Scottish Police, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, the Dutch National Police and Spanish law enforcement.

      Germany – raids in relation to export of hundreds of luxury cars to Russia

      It is being reported that seven residential and commercial premises in the Steinfurt area were raided on 20 November by Customs officers from Essen, Münster and Osnabrück.

      The raids relate to allegations that three individuals (aged 57, 32 and 27) were involved in the export of 346 luxury cars to Russia via third countries in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

      The exports are said to have taken place between 2022 and 2024 and have totalled approximately €20m in value.

      The report adds that assets (including real estate, cars and bank accounts) valued at €20m have been seized as part of the investigation.

      Germany – arrest and raids related to machinery exports to Russia

      German Customs has issued a press release reporting that the Customs Investigation Office and Public Prosecutor’s Office in Stuttgart have overseen raids on private and company premises relating to alleged machinery exports to Russia in breach of the EU’s sanctions.

      Raids and searches were conducted on 10, 14 and 18 November and a 55-year old man has been arrested.

      It is alleged that 5 machine tools were exported to Russia via third countries between October 2023 and December 2024. The value of the machinery is stated to have been €1.7m.

      As well as raiding the exporting company, raids were also conducted on the premises of a freight forwarding company in Duisburg.

      United Kingdom – charges brought for making luxury art work available to person connected with Russia

      As first reported in Global Investigations Review (here, behind a paywall), the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has charged Hauser & Wirth (a Swiss company) that operates an art gallery in London, and logistics company Artay Rachweger Solomons each with a count of making a luxury good (i.e. a painting) available to a person connected with Russia in breach of the UK’s sanctions.

      The person connected with Russia has not yet been named.

      At a court hearing on 12 November, Artay Rauchwerger Solomons indicated that it intended to plead not guilty. Hauser & Wirth gave no indication.

      Latvia – 247 administrative penalties for Russian trade sanctions breaches since June

      At a conference held last week in Riga, the Director of Latvia’s Customs Board, gave figures on the number of penalties imposed under new rules introduced on 10 June 2025 allowing administrative penalties for import/export breaches of Russian sanctions where the value of the goods was less than €10,000.

      Under those rules, in addition to confiscation of the goods in question, the minimum fine for a company is €10,000 and a maximum of €30,000. For individuals the maximum fine is €10,000.

      At the conference (video is here, with the figure given at 3:15), it was stated that Latvia had imposed 247 such penalties to date, although some of those are the subject of appeals.

      Germany – conviction and lengthy jail term for sanctioned exports to Russia

      Further to our earlier post, it is being reported (here, here and here) that in September a court in Frankfurt convicted Alexander S. of exports of sanctioned goods to Russia.

      He is reported to have been sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in jail. Both the defence and prosecution have appealed.

      The conviction relates to exports of dual use maritime technology to Russia via a procurement network said to be run through the Cypriot company Mostrello.

      Germany – 16 years of jail and €30m confiscated for nearly 500 luxury car exports to Russia

      This story is actually from September 2024, and was previously missed by this blog.

      Three individuals were convicted of 430 separate violations of the German Foreign Trade Act by way of exports of nearly 500 luxury cars to Russia in breach of sanctions.

      The individuals falsely declared the exports were for Belarus.

      Two of the individuals were each sentenced to 6 years in jail, and the third to 4 years.

      In addition €30m in the gross proceeds of the sales were confiscated.

      © 2009- Duane Morris LLP. Duane Morris is a registered service mark of Duane Morris LLP.

      The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

      Proudly powered by WordPress