russian and Belarusian hauliers are circumventing sanctions and operating in the EU

GuildHall reports on this.

According to the Robert Lansing Institute, the central figure in this scheme is the Belarusian-russian millionaire Vasily Smetanin, owner of the Belarusian company ‘Dzhenty Speditsiya’ and the russian firm ‘SDS Holding’.

To legitimise his activities in the EU, Smetanin uses a complex corporate structure, the researchers noted.

This structure includes the Austrian financier Florian Koschat and the former head of russia’s Sberbank, Yulia Chechet. The network comprises companies registered in Poland, such as DSPL, Azonik, BIRC Transport and Rezon Trans. The Austrian holding company Albereta GmbH and its subsidiary Eastin Forwarding Holding are also involved in the scheme.

“Despite EU sanctions prohibiting Belarusian and russian transport companies from operating within the European Union, these Polish companies, which are owned or controlled by Belarusian and russian interests, have obtained road transport operator (RTO) status by exploiting legal loopholes,” the publication states.

Since April 2022, the EU has banned Belarusian and russian transport companies from operating within the EU. Freight transport between Belarus and the EU is now generally carried out via transhipment or the exchange of trailers at border crossings.

Furthermore, any transport company registered in Belarus or russia, or any company in which citizens of those countries hold at least 25 per cent of the shares, is prohibited from operating within the EU.

Previously, the Polish authorities audited more than 11,000 transport companies and initiated proceedings to revoke the licences of 453 firms.

Companies such as Azonik, BIRC Transport and Rezon Trans should not have been granted the status of regional transport enterprises, as they were established — and are still controlled — by Belarusian and russian owners who hold more than 25 per cent of the shares, according to RLI.

“The logistics network uncovered in Poland demonstrates that russia and Belarus have adapted to the pressure of sanctions and are increasingly relying on financial, legal and corporate mechanisms to circumvent EU restrictions,” the publication states.

Economic activity is becoming a tool in the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare strategy, whilst companies and intermediaries operating in the EU are becoming key enablers in these efforts, undermining the effectiveness of sanctions and creating additional risks to European security.

Source: Ekonomichna Pravda