45 companies were investigated for breaches of sanctions against russia

In 2023, a total of 45 Danish companies became the subject of investigations into possible breaches of sanctions against russia in connection with that country’s invasion of Ukraine.

This was reported by the newspaper "Berlingske".

According to the publication, none of the Danish companies has so far breached the sanctions.

Twenty-three cases remain open, and two of them have been referred to the police.

This information comes from documents the newspaper received from the Danish Business Authority following a freedom of information request. The Authority does not wish to disclose which specific companies are involved.

As "Berlingske" notes, these cases stem from inspections, media reports and close cooperation between authorities both in Denmark and abroad, as stated in the Agency’s written response.

In the closed cases, the authorities concluded on 15 occasions that the sanctions had not been breached. Five cases were examined by the Business Authority, which did not consider them to ‘fall within the Authority’s remit’.

Jens Ladeføged Mortensen, an associate professor at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, is not surprised by this figure. Speaking to "Berlingske", he emphasises that the authorities are aware that some businesses are potentially breaching the rules.

“Investigating these cases can be complex,” Jens Ladefoged Mortensen explains to the newspaper. This may explain why a number of cases are still pending.

“These involve networks, shell companies, ownership structures and so on. It is reasonable to assume that the cases currently under consideration require additional work,” notes Jens Ladeføged Mortensen, as reported by "Berlingske".

Earlier this summer, EU countries adopted the 11th package of sanctions against russia. One of the aims of this package was, in particular, to target third countries that circumvent sanctions by exporting goods to russia.

According to "Berlingske", the Danish Customs Service has warned that a number of countries are helping russia to circumvent the sanctions. Specifically, these include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia.

Source: Berlingske Media