Finland Claims Russia Exploiting Procurement Networks to Evade Sanctions

(MENAFN) Russia is making extensive use of international procurement networks operating in Finland to obtain restricted technologies and sidestep Western sanctions, according to a senior Finnish intelligence official.

Teemu Liikkanen, head of counterintelligence at the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, said on Saturday that these networks function through multiple intermediaries designed to obscure their true purpose while ultimately supplying Russia's military-industrial sector.

“The role of the Russian state in directing these activities is deliberately concealed,” Liikkanen said.

According to Finnish intelligence assessments, such procurement channels existed before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 but have expanded significantly as sanctions have tightened and access to advanced technologies has become more limited.

Reports indicate that Russia is particularly focused on obtaining a range of strategic technologies and components, including optical systems, maritime equipment, expertise linked to quantum technologies, and spare parts such as circuit boards and other electronic components.

Finnish authorities say the use of intermediary networks has become an increasingly important method for Russia to secure materials and technology that are difficult to access directly under existing Western sanctions.

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