The equipment was transported through intermediaries in Estonia, Slovakia, Turkey and China after being assembled in Lithuania’s second-largest city as commissioned by a Russian company, according to the report.
It is estimated that EUR 61.5 million worth of equipment could have been shipped from Kaunas to the aggressor country since 24 February 2022. This amount represents at least 60 shipments of Jurby Water Tech exported to Russia, although the documents show that the equipment should have been shipped elsewhere.
The LRT’s investigation team says one of the main shareholders of Jurby Water Tech is Viktor Redko, a former Soviet paratrooper. The company is also mortgaged to individuals in Russia and has received large loans from the Virgin Islands even before the war. The investigation links these funds to Russian millionaire Artem Zuev, who is suspected of money laundering in Latvia.
The company exported water filtration systems classified as dual-use goods in the EU. Its shipment destined for China was intercepted by Lithuanian customs in February last year on suspicion that it might actually end up in Russia.
The investigation found that the systems were ordered by a Russian company owned by the sanctioned Gazprom Neft.
“Before that, Jurby Watertech International itself carried out the work at the Gazprom Neft plant and supplied the equipment assembled in Kaunas,” the report says.