Millions of euros worth of heavy equipment exported to Russia
Finnish Customs has looked into exports of trucks and trailers from Finland to Russia during 2022 and 2023. Based on the uncovered information, Customs has started a preliminary investigation regarding an aggravated regulation offence.
Customs suspects that a Finnish company has exported a considerable number of trucks and trailers to Russia in 2022 and 2023. Sanctions implemented by the EU against Russia have prohibited exports of trucks and trailers to Russia since 13 April 2022. Preliminary information gives cause to suspect that a Finnish company has cleared 135 trucks and 29 trailers for export from Finland to Russia. The heavy equipment that did not comply with regulations was exported mainly through the Nuijamaa customs office to Russia until Finland’s eastern border was closed on 15 December 2023. The total value of the exported trucks and trailers was about 17 million euros.
– The company in question informed Customs that it exports trucks and trailers to Kazakhstan or Türkiye via Russia. The preliminary investigation has revealed that in reality all of the vehicles that the company cleared for export ended up in Russia. The company’s sales invoices state the buyer as a Turkish company headed and owned by a person based in Moscow, says investigation leader Sanna Kuparinen.
As Customs gathered more information, it came to light that heavy equipment had been taken to Russia via Finland from 12 EU countries in breach of regulations. According to the information that Customs obtained, altogether 558 trucks and 45 trailers were taken to Russia. The total value of all of the exported vehicles was 79 million euros.
Intermediary firms and front companies used in circumventing sanctions
In 2025, Customs registered 43 regulation offences, 17 of which were aggravated. Four new types of sanctions offences were added to the Criminal Code of Finland last year, namely those of a sanctions offence, an aggravated sanctions offence, a negligent sanctions offence and a sanctions violation. Sanctions offences comprise violations of sanctions imposed by the EU or the UN, and involves for example trade with prohibited parties. The Finnish Criminal Code now imposes considerably stricter penalties for breaches of sanctions. Customs registered three sanctions offences in 2025.
– Investigations into regulation offences and sanctions offences are time-consuming and require extensive cooperation between authorities of various countries. Complex international business networks, as well as intermediary and front companies are used in circumventing sanctions. Acquiring reliable evidence and connecting matters into wholes is often a long process, as summarised by Hannu Sinkkonen, Director of Enforcement regarding investigations into regulation offences and sanctions offences.
Finnish companies that operate legally have a central role in preventing circumventions of sanctions. Finnish Customs enforces compliance with import and export sanctions in Finland as regards cross-border flows of goods, and is responsible for investigating regulation offences and sanctions offences.
The criminal case is being investigated as an aggravated regulation offence. So far, three Finnish citizens have been heard as suspects in the preliminary investigation, i.e. the company’s owner and two employees. One of the suspects has been detained. The preliminary investigation has involved international Europe-wide cooperation with various authorities. The case will be transferred to the Prosecution District of Eastern Finland once the preliminary investigation is concluded.