Finland’s customs service has opened about a thousand cases for violation of international sanctions since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the statistics of the Finnish customs office, there have been attempts to transfer products for military use to Russia.
Attempts have often been made to ship technological products to Russia, including for military use, such as drones and various components, as well as luxury goods and sports equipment.
Almost a thousand trials of Finnish customs officials
Most of such cases occurred in the first two years of the war in Ukraine. In the period of 2022-2023, in total, about 800 cases were registered, the following year, when the border with Russia was closed (in December 2023), the number of cases decreased significantly. Less than a hundred cases were registered in the three quarters of 2024.
– There are so many open cases (during the war) – said Hannu Sinkkonen, head of the control department at the customs office (Tully).
As Yle radio reported, courts have already issued dozens of verdicts in various cases, and hundreds more are pending.
When it comes to transporting restricted goods or goods across the border, fines are usually imposed and the case does not go to court.
In more serious cases, i.e. large-scale activities and prohibited goods and equipment that could be sent to the war front, attempts were made to avoid export sanctions through small or medium-sized Finnish export or logistics companies.
They use different ways
It has been more than a year since the closure of all border crossings between Finland and Russia, attempts to transfer illegal goods to Russia through the Baltic countries or other routes have been made.
The customs declaration often presents a country of destination other than Russia, for example Kazakhstan, but in fact the sanctioned product remains in the Russian Federation – according to the lawsuit.
Main image source: Shutterstock
