Czech authorities have launched official inspections of several companies suspected of importing Russian wood products in circumvention of EU sanctions. According to Guild Hall, the investigations are based on journalistic research that uncovered a network of shell companies in China.
The European Union (EU) sanctions have banned imports of Russian timber since 2022, as export revenues can be used to finance Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Siberian larch is particularly affected, with its trade now illegal. Official statistics show that direct imports from Russia dropped to zero, while deliveries from China rose from a few tons to hundreds of tons.
An anonymous trader from the Czech Republic reported that Russian partners offered to continue cooperation via Chinese intermediary firms after the sanctions were imposed. He declined. The Czech government had already been warned by the Baltic states late last year that local importers were buying large quantities of Russian timber.
Source: 24tv.ua
