Under the SBU’s nose: Who helped Russia obtain sanctioned equipment from Ukraine

Under the SBU’s nose: Who helped Russia obtain sanctioned equipment from Ukraine

In Ukraine, a scheme involving local and international companies aiding the aggressor state has been uncovered. The investigation found that Odesa-based LLC "Novatek-Electro" and LLC "Elimpex" exported electrical equipment to Russia through a network of intermediaries in Poland, Turkey, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and even the Maldives.

This information comes from the materials of the relevant criminal proceedings under Part 2 Art. 28 Part 1 Art. 111-2 of the Criminal Code.

According to the investigation materials, Oleksandr Mytskevych, the owner of LLC "Novatek-Electro" and LLC "Elimpex," as well as international companies NOVATEK-ELECTRO Polska sp. z o.o. (Poland) and OVERVIS OU (Estonia), organized a broken transit scheme.

The products were manufactured in Ukraine at the LLC "Novatek-Electro" facilities in Odesa. Through the controlled LLC "Elimpex," they were sold to international firms and other transit companies in Poland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the Maldives. They were then sent to Russia, where the ultimate buyer was the Russian company "Novatek-Electro" (St. Petersburg).

The organization of the illegal business involved:

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• The commercial director of LLC "Novatek-Electro," responsible for signing documents.
• An accountant who handled financial documentation and processed payments through transit companies.
• A foreign economic activity manager who controlled logistics and interaction with carriers.
• A marketer who managed advertising and promotion of Ukrainian products in the Russian market.
• A Russian citizen, deputy head of NOVATEK-ELECTRO Polska sp. z o.o and co-owner of the Russian firm.

How did international transit companies work?

To conceal the real recipient of the products, companies in various countries were used:

• Estonia – OVERVIS OU.
• Poland – NOVATEK-ELECTRO Polska sp. z o.o.
• Turkey – ALT SYSTEMS DIS TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI.
• Maldives – INTERMODAL MALDIVES.
• Kazakhstan – dummy enterprises.

Products were allegedly sold to transit firms that then shipped them to Russia.

Fake agreements to legalize supplies

LLC "Novatek-Electro" tasked LLC "Elimpex" with exporting its products abroad to bypass trade bans with Russia. To conceal the sources of financial inflows and further legalize them, the perpetrators used accounts of OVERVIS OU and ALT SYSTEMS DIS TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, and then Mediterranean International Trading Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, through which payments for products that ultimately ended up in Russia were made.

In 2023, the first firm received a payment of 3.5 million euros from a controlled Turkish company, which, in turn, received these funds from unidentified legal entities registered in Russia.

The funds were subsequently distributed as follows: 1.2 million euros went to the account of LLC "Elimpex" as payment for the next batch of electrical products; 800,000 euros to the account of LLC "Novatek-Electro" as payment for products that had actually been delivered to Russian enterprises; and 1.5 million euros were transferred to offshore company accounts in the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus belonging to Mytskevych.

Kazakhstan also became another transit point through which Ukrainian-made products were seamlessly routed to Russia via TechInvest KZ and KazTrans Logistics.

Additionally, equipment was routed via the Maldives through INTERMODAL MALDIVES.

Avoiding sanctions

To prevent the detection of illegal supplies, the criminal group used fake documents, altering the origin of goods. LLC "Novatek-Electro" issued certificates of origin stating that the products were allegedly manufactured in Poland or Estonia, although, in reality, they were manufactured at plants in Ukraine. Customs declarations listed altered product codes to avoid falling under sanction restrictions. Fake firms in Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the UAE were used for official sales registration, complicating tracking of the ultimate recipient.

The ultimate buyers of products supplied through the "broken transit" scheme were:

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• "Russian Railways" – purchasing electrical equipment for the modernization of railway infrastructure.
• "Rostec" – receiving switching equipment for enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.
• "Russian energy companies" and "Mosenergo" – using protective and control relays for energy networks.
• "Transmashholding" – one of the key manufacturers of electrical equipment for railway infrastructure.

Considering the collected evidence, the investigation sent requests for international legal assistance to law enforcement agencies in Estonia, Poland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the UAE. In addition, the Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine is analyzing financial transactions on the accounts of LLC "Novatek-Electro" and LLC "Elimpex" to identify possible additional financing channels for Russian enterprises.