Following a raid conducted in June 2025, the Belgian authorities have detained Russian national Viktor Labin pending investigation of alleged breaches of Russian sanctions.
It is now being reported that trial in the prosecution is scheduled to begin on 26 February 2026.
It is alleged that he was responsible for exporting machinery and devices for use by the Russian military or in manufacturing.
Further to our earlier post, it is being reported that the Estonian-Russian national prosecuted for attempting to export 10,000 rounds of ammunition to Russia hidden in a truck cab has been convicted.
He has been sentenced to 3 years in jail.
The verdict remains subject to appeal.
The UK’s HMRC has issued a press release announcing the conviction and sentencing of Steven Gates for unlicensed exports of eight military-grade rifle sights to a buyer in Hong Kong.
Customs declarations were also falsified to say the sights were camera equipment.
One export was prevented in February 2022 by Border Force staff at Manchester Airport, and another in April 2023.
Searches at his house revealed evidence of another 10 exports.
Mr Gates has been sentenced to jail for 2 years and one month.
Importantly, the press release notes that HMRC is “pursuing 51 criminal investigations in 2024/2025 compared with give in 2021/22”.
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release detailing that the German authorities this morning have arrested 5 individuals as part of raids on premises in Lübeck, Frankfurt am Main, and Nuremberg.
Five of the suspects are named as Artem I, Boris M, Eugen R, Nikita S and Daniel A. Five suspects remain wanted.
The allegation is that a German company based in Lübeck has made 16,000 deliveries to 24 different Russian defence companies with the goods valued as at least €30 million. The category of goods is not specified.
It is being reported that a mutual legal assistance request has been sent by German authorities to Ukraine investigating press reports of German companies alleged to have supplied materials used in the building of the Shahed drones used by Russian in the conflict with Ukraine.
The German company reported to be the target of the information gathering is Goettle Advanced Products GmbH & Co. KG and possible connections to the Russian manufacturer Composite Products LLC.
Latvia’s Prosecutor’s Office has issued a press release regarding bringing a criminal prosecution before the Riga City Court against an Estonian-Russian dual national for attempting to transport 10,000 items of ammunition into Russia.
The shipment was stopped at the Terekhov Customs crossing. As part of a search of the truck the bullets were found hidden within the driver’s cab of the truck.
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.
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.
The UK’s HMRC has published a Notice to Exporters reporting on a compound penalty agreed with an unnamed UK exporter.
The penalty was £620,515.04. The conduct giving rise to the penalty is described as “unlicensed exports of military goods controlled by the Export Control Order 2008”.
No other information is provided.
After press reporting on possible breaches of Norway’s Russian sanctions by companies in the Kongsberg Group, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that as of 25 October, it had started an investigation:
“PST has today decided to initiate an investigation of Kongsberg Discovery for violation of export control regulations. The reason for our decision is that through media coverage in recent days, information has emerged that gives PST reason to carry out further investigations“.
Kongsberg is a state-owned arms manufacturer and is reported to have stated to the press that it has followed Norway’s regulations.
The allegations are that equipment used for undersea surveillance have been sold and shipped to Russian military customers.
