Ukrainian companies helped circumvent sanctions and supplied equipment to Russia

A scheme for the illegal supply of electromechanical equipment to Russia has been uncovered in Ukraine. Ukrainian and international companies participated in the scheme, using transit routes through Poland, Turkey, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and even the Maldives.

Who was behind the scheme?

The key figure in the scheme was Alexander Mitskevych – the owner of the Ukrainian companies Novatek-Electro and Elimpex, as well as their international branches in Poland (NOVATEK-ELEKTRO Polska sp. z o.o) and Estonia (OVERVIS OU). He organised a mechanism of broken transit, allowing the final buyer of the products to be concealed.

The following parties participated in the criminal scheme:

✔️ Commercial Director – coordinated deals and contacts with partners.
✔️ Accountant – was responsible for financial documentation and transfers through offshore accounts.
✔️ Foreign Economic Activity Manager – controlled logistics and interaction with carriers.
✔️ Marketer – was responsible for promoting Ukrainian equipment in the Russian market.
✔️ Russian citizen, Deputy Head of NOVATEK-ELEKTRO Polska sp. z o.o – participated in the implementation of the supply scheme.

How did the supply mechanism work?

The products were manufactured in Ukraine at the facilities of Novatek-Electro in Odesa. They were then sold through the controlled company Elimpex to foreign partners, after which the equipment was delivered to Russia.

The transit points were:

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

Using fictitious contracts, the appearance of legal international supplies was created; however, the final recipient was invariably the Russian company Novatek-Electro (Saint Petersburg).

Millions of euros through offshore accounts

To conceal the true origin of the goods, the organisers of the scheme used the accounts of foreign companies. In 2023, one such firm, OVERVIS OU, received €3.5 million from a controlled Turkish company, which in turn received these funds from unnamed Russian legal entities.

The funds were distributed as follows:

• €1.2 million – transferred to the account of Elimpex as payment for supplies.
• €800,000 – directed to the accounts of Novatek-Electro for equipment actually sent to Russia.
• €1.5 million – went to offshore accounts in the UAE and Cyprus controlled by Alexander Mitskevych.

The scheme operated through Kazakhstan on a similar principle: the companies TechInvest KZ and KazTrans Logistics were used to transfer equipment to Russia. In the Maldives, INTERMODAL MALDIVES acted as the transit party.

Circumventing sanctions: fake certificates and altered codes

To avoid sanctions restrictions, participants in the scheme altered the origin of the goods in documents. Novatek-Electro issued certificates stating that the products were allegedly manufactured in Poland or Estonia. Altered commodity codes were used in customs declarations, which allowed them to bypass trade bans with Russia.

Among the final buyers in Russia were:

• Russian Railways – purchased equipment for the modernisation of railway infrastructure.
• Rostec – received switches and electromechanical equipment for defence industry enterprises.
• Russian energy companies, including Mosenergo – used the equipment for power grids.
• TransMashHolding – acquired machinery for railway transport.

International investigation

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies sent international requests to Estonia, Poland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the UAE. The State Financial Monitoring Service is analysing fund movements to identify additional sources of financing for Russian companies.

According to information from the detective agency ABSOLUTION