russia continues to supply timber subject to sanctions to the EU

Guild Hall reports on this.

Local authorities are aware of this issue and are currently conducting official investigations into several companies, according to the article.

According to Euobserver, as early as the end of last year, the Prague administration received an official warning from colleagues in the Baltic region that Czech importers were continuing to purchase large volumes of timber of russian origin, predominantly Siberian larch, which grows exclusively in the russian part of Siberia.

Trade in this raw material has been banned under EU-wide sanctions since 2022, as revenue from its export directly helps the Kremlin to finance military operations.

“It is extremely difficult to visually determine the exact origin of coniferous timber and distinguish it from Asian or Mongolian equivalents, a fact that russian suppliers are actively exploiting by setting up front companies in China to produce forged documents,” the report states.

One of the largest Czech timber traders, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to journalists that, following the imposition of sanctions, long-standing partners from russia had openly offered him the chance to continue purchases via covert schemes through specially created Chinese firms; however, his company declined the offer.

Czech statistical authorities report that official imports of larch from russia have fallen to zero, but at the same time, purchases of similar timber from China have surged from a few tonnes to hundreds of tonnes, whilst transit depots have seen deliveries from Serbia and Turkey, where this species of tree does not grow at all.

Source: Ekonomichna Pravda