March 3, Pozirk. Belarusian and Ukrainian journalists, in a joint investigation, have identified companies and individuals involved in circumventing international sanctions to supply luxury cars to Russia.
One Russian company, OOO Astrata, that bought at least 19 cars worth about $2 million in 2023-25, is controlled by Andrej Śvirydaŭ, a former deputy to Viktar Šejman when he headed the Presidential Property Management Office – the Belarusian ruler’s business empire – from 2013 to 2021. Šejman is Alaksandar Łukašenka’s close ally who is under sanctions over alleged involvement in forced disappearances of opposition figures.
Śvirydaŭ reportedly holds an 80-percent stake in OOO Astrata, with 20 percent owned by Ekaterina Kornienko, a Crimean-born woman with a Russian passport.
Śvirydaŭ also served as CFO with Rostumel Holding Limited, a Cyprus-incorporated company that was also involved in shipping sanctioned cars to Russia.
Other companies suspected of circumventing sanctions are Belarus’ TAA NewInvestGrup and TAA LegionGrupInvest, both were managed by Śvirydaŭ when they shipped luxury vehicles to Russia.
The investigation was conducted by the Belarusian Investigative Center in partnership with Rabočy Ruch and Ukraine’s Slidstvo.Info, with support from the CyberPartisans hacktivist group.
