Latvia says that businesses circumvent sanctions against Belarus, Russia

August 29, BPN. Businesses use fake customs codes and destinations to bypass Western sanctions against Belarus and Russia, Latvia’s LTV reported, citing the Latvian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

By the end of August, Latvia’s State Revenue Service in charge of the customs recorded 1,339 breaches of sanctions and opened 32 criminal proceedings.

According to Normunds Krūmiņš of the Latvian Logistics Association, many Western brands that pulled out of Russia immediately after it attacked Ukraine are back on Russian store shelves. Kazakhstan is reportedly one of the countries that Russians use to bypass sanctions, as both are in the same customs union.

Kazakhstan’s share in Latvia’s rail freight traffic jumped from 0.4 percent in 2021 to 25 percent in 2022.

FIU noted that businesses also use Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Turkey, and African countries, which have not imposed any restrictions against Russia.

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, said that Russia was trying to bypass sanctions “by leveraging Belarusian connections with less severe sanctions.”