Postal Loopholes Aid Sanctions Evasion
A German investigation has revealed that Russia is bypassing EU sanctions by sending prohibited goods through a logistics hub near Berlin and exploiting the lighter controls applied to international mail. Test shipments fitted with GPS trackers moved through the Berlin Brandenburg Airport facility undetected before being forwarded through Poland and Belarus to Moscow, according to Bild.
The operation reportedly uses shipping labels from Uzbekistan’s state postal service, despite Germany not authorising the service to operate locally. Because international mail is processed quickly and in bulk, it faces far less scrutiny than regular commercial exports. The scheme is allegedly run by Dimitri V., former managing director of RusPost GmbH, the German branch of Russia’s state postal service. Customs raided the company in August 2024, but no charges were pursued.
Ukraine Calls for Stronger Enforcement
Ukraine’s presidential envoy for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said he was unsurprised by the revelations and criticized Europe for failing to close such loopholes. “Nobody is doing enough, if you look at the number of cases,” he told Euronews in Berlin.
Vlasiuk is currently touring European countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, to press for stricter sanctions enforcement. He highlighted three key priorities: tougher financial sanctions, stopping Western components from reaching Russia, and stronger action against Russia’s shadow fleet. He noted that Western components have been found in many of the over 50,000 Shahed drone attacks launched by Russia, and that alternative payments like cryptocurrencies make sanctions easier to circumvent.
Shadow Fleet Still Evades Oversight
Russia’s shadow fleet continues to play a central role in sanctions evasion, transporting oil and commodities using old, often underinsured tankers registered under shifting or unclear flags of convenience. These registrations exploit weak oversight, low fees, and minimal safety or insurance requirements.
Despite EU sanctions targeting over 600 ships, around 70% remain active, according to Vlasiuk. France recently seized the tanker Grinch in the western Mediterranean, suspecting it of sailing under a false flag. On 26 January, Germany and 13 other EU states warned that vessels in the Baltic and North Sea operating under multiple or false flags would be treated as stateless. The declaration requires ships to carry valid documents, communicate with authorities, and comply with maritime safety laws, though enforcement mechanisms and penalties were not specified.
