How banned goods slip through Europe
Russia has been quietly sidestepping EU sanctions by funnelling restricted goods through a logistics hub in Berlin and exploiting the looser controls applied to international mail, according to an investigation by German newspaper Bild.
Reporters tracked test packages fitted with GPS devices that contained sanctioned items. The parcels moved unhindered through a logistics hall near Berlin Brandenburg Airport before being sent on through Poland and Belarus to Moscow.
The shipments reportedly used labels from Uzbekistan’s state postal service, despite the fact that Germany’s Federal Network Agency does not authorise that operator to work in the country. Because international mail is processed quickly and in huge volumes under simplified customs rules, it often avoids the tighter checks applied to standard exports.
Bild identified the alleged organiser as the former managing director of RusPost GmbH, the German arm of Russia’s state postal service. German customs searched the company’s Berlin offices in August 2024 over suspected sanctions breaches, but the investigation ultimately led nowhere.
Ukraine calls for tougher enforcement
Ukraine’s presidential envoy for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said the findings came as no surprise. Speaking in Berlin, he argued that enforcement across Europe remains too weak.
“When you look at the number of cases, nobody is doing enough,” Vlasiuk said, adding that Kyiv regularly gathers evidence of sanctions evasion and shares it with partner countries. According to him, the methods uncovered in Berlin fit a well-known pattern.
Vlasiuk is currently visiting several European capitals to push for stricter action. He has outlined three key priorities: tighter financial sanctions, stopping Western components from reaching Russia, and cracking down harder on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
He warned that Western-made parts continue to appear in Russian weapons systems, including thousands of Shahed drone attacks, and said alternative payment methods such as cryptocurrencies are helping actors dodge existing bans. While Russia’s economy is under strain, Vlasiuk argued the pressure is still not strong enough.
The shadow fleet problem
Russia’s shadow fleet has become a central focus of sanctions enforcement. The country continues to move oil and other commodities using ageing, poorly insured tankers that sail under flags of convenience or unclear registration, allowing them to dodge oversight.
Although the EU has sanctioned more than 600 vessels, Vlasiuk said roughly 70% of them are still active and transporting Russian oil. He has urged European governments to consider physical measures against these ships.
France recently seized the tanker Grinch in the western Mediterranean, suspecting it of sailing under a false flag and violating sanctions. Meanwhile, Germany and 13 other EU states issued a joint warning in January about vessels operating in the Baltic and North Sea under multiple or fake flags.
Those countries said such ships would increasingly be treated as stateless unless they carry valid documentation, communicate properly with authorities and comply with maritime safety rules. However, the declaration stopped short of detailing how violations would be punished.
