Two Finnish companies are suspected of having exported drones and other military products worth over three million euros ($3.25 million) to Russia in violation of EU sanctions, Finnish customs authorities said Tuesday.
“There are altogether six criminal suspects, one of whom has been detained since September,” the country’s customs agency said in a statement.
It said that nearly 3,500 drones are thought to have ended up in Russia as a result.
The products also included microcontrollers, semiconductor devices and defense materials designed for stopping drones, authorities added.
It is believed that the items were approved for export to different countries, such as Kazakhstan, but ultimately found their way into Russia.
Finnish customs authorities said that “one individual is responsible for both of the companies under investigation.”
One of the companies oversaw the purchase of the sanctioned products and the other forwarded the goods to Russia, according to the authorities.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates that the activity has been run in Russia,” Hannu Sinkkonen, customs’ director of enforcement, said in a statement.
The case involves regulation violations and a defense material export violation and will be taken over by a prosecutor in December.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the EU has imposed 12 rounds of sanctions against Russia, targeting oil and gas exports, as well as technology and military products, among other goods.
