There are more than 20 companies in Finland owned by people of Russian origin that supply Russia with high technology and other products used in the war against Ukraine.
Source. This was reported by the Finnish edition of Yle.
These are small logistics and forwarding companies, most of which are based in the southeast of the country, near the Finnish-Russian border.
Thus, journalists found out that a company with an office near the city of Lappeenranta was transporting sensors, diesel engines, fuel pumps, and transmission equipment to Russia.
Similar components were found in Russian vehicles and weapons found in Ukraine.
Yle notes that two of the company's clients are linked to the FSB. In total, at least nine customers of the studied companies were found to be directly connected to Russian special services or the Russian defense industry.
The products supplied from Finland to Russia also include equipment for military research and intelligence, such as signal analysis devices, frequency synthesizers, printed circuit board accessories, optical devices, and voltmeters. Engine parts, bearings, and valves are also exported. Some of the deliveries are made directly, while others are made through third countries, such as Uzbekistan.
Having studied the financial statements of the companies, Yle journalists concluded that in 2022, after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, their total turnover more than doubled. Criminal investigations have been launched against at least four companies.
As a reminder, according to a journalistic investigation, German, American, British and other Western companies supply military goods to Russia through procurement by using shell companies, mainly legal entities from China.