Journalists have determined based on leaked data that dozens of lorries ostensibly purchased by Kazakhstan-based company Safelogistic KZ did not reach their destination and were transported to Russia instead. Lorries valued EUR 6 million were allegedly sold to the Kazakh company in the first half of 2023.
According to the report, Safelogistic KZ was founded in April 2022, weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and already after the European Union imposed its first sanctions on Russia. Journalists found out based on publicly available data that the Kazakh company paid EUR 27,000 in tax to Kazakhstan’s budget for 2023.
The Customs Department concluded that by conducting transactions with entities registered in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey the Lithuanian company did not ensure adherence to international sanctions and export of lorries was assessed as a violation of sanctions resulting in a fine.
Journalists have checked vehicle identification numbers (VIN) in the Russian international trade database and confirmed that vehicles ostensibly sold to Kazakhstan in fact ended up in Russia and are used by a Moscow-based company. It was determined that they entered Russia through a Belarusian firm and had never reached Kazakhstan.