Postal Loopholes Let Sanctions Slip Through
A German investigation has revealed that Russia is dodging EU sanctions by routing banned goods through a Berlin logistics hub and exploiting lighter controls on international mail. Test shipments equipped with GPS trackers passed undetected through a hall near Berlin Brandenburg Airport before being sent via Poland and Belarus to Moscow, according to Bild.
The shipments reportedly used labels from Uzbekistan’s state postal service, which is not authorized to operate in Germany. Because international mail is processed quickly in bulk, it receives far less scrutiny than regular exports. The operation is said to be run by Dimitri V., former managing director of RusPost GmbH, the German branch of Russia’s state postal service. German customs searched the company in August 2024, but no charges followed.
Ukraine Calls for Tougher Enforcement
Ukraine’s presidential envoy for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said Europe is not doing enough to close these loopholes. “Nobody is doing enough, if you look at the number of cases,” he told Euronews in Berlin.
Vlasiuk is visiting several European countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, to push for stricter enforcement. He outlined three priorities: stronger financial sanctions, preventing Western components from reaching Russia, and decisive action against Russia’s shadow fleet. He also noted that alternative payments like cryptocurrencies help actors bypass sanctions, and that Western components have been detected in many of Russia’s more than 50,000 Shahed drone attacks.
Shadow Fleet Continues to Operate
Russia’s shadow fleet remains a key channel for evading sanctions, using old, underinsured tankers often registered under changing or unclear flags of convenience. These flags exploit weak regulatory oversight, low fees, and minimal safety or insurance requirements.
Despite EU sanctions targeting over 600 ships, about 70% remain active, according to Vlasiuk. France recently seized the tanker Grinch in the western Mediterranean for suspected false-flag activity. On 26 January, Germany and 13 EU states warned that vessels sailing under multiple or false flags in the Baltic and North Sea would be treated as stateless. They must have valid documents, communicate with authorities, and comply with safety laws, though the statement did not detail enforcement measures or penalties for non-compliance.
