Lithuania finds companies helping russia evade sanctions

Lithuanian intelligence agencies have identified companies in the country that continue to cooperate with russian businesses and help them circumvent sanctions.

This is stated in a joint report of the counterintelligence Department of State Security and the Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

The report states that russian entities often involve russian and Belarusian companies that have long been present in Lithuania in sanctions circumvention schemes.

Many of these companies provide warehousing, transportation, and customs services. In particular, they help export components for the transportation sector, metalworking and laboratory equipment, electronics, microelectronics and components, as well as military products to russia.

"russia is making significant efforts to circumvent international sanctions by developing new schemes involving russian special services, using contacts with companies operating in the European Union, and employing russian and belarusian citizens," the agencies note.

Most of the russian and belarusian citizens who own companies in Lithuania linked to the sanctions circumvention schemes have direct business contacts in russia and belarus. Their firms purchase equipment manufactured in the West and supply it to russian or belarusian companies, institutions and research organizations operating in strategic industries, the report says.

In addition, some companies acted in the interests of russian structures, trying to provide them with equipment for the modernization of the armed forces, and received funding from companies associated with the russian military industry.

russian special services were involved in organizing the import of sanctioned goods, the report says.

As russia's strategic industry is facing difficulties due to sanctions, "it is very likely that russian special services will increase their efforts to purchase and supply russia with the necessary equipment, production or technological innovations," according to Lithuanian intelligence.

Cases have also been identified where sanctions circumvention schemes were organized by russian citizens who have not established or run a business in Lithuania but have received a residence permit. They usually act as intermediaries, trying to establish contacts with Lithuanian companies that sell or manufacture equipment needed by russia.

The Lithuanian intelligence report also stated that russia has enough resources to fight in Ukraine with the current intensity for at least two more years. At the same time, russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with NATO, in particular in the Baltic Sea region, and for this purpose is gradually expanding its military capabilities to the west.

Source: Rzeczpospolita