Belarus “renewed” its niche advantage for suppliers of restricted goods

“Because of all these chains of resales (Austria, Türkiye, Russia, and sometimes they add some other  link there), the price rises very significantly. That’s why they make a detour through Belarus via a customs warehouse, resell the goods, and understate their value to reduce customs payments. Because each link in the chain adds to the price. Austria sold to Türkiye — plus a percentage. Türkiye then sold, possibly to someone else (to the UAE or Hong Kong) — plus another percentage. If you ship it directly to Russia, all of this will be visible, and the customs payments will be very high. So it is easier to detour through Belarus and understate the value to the minimum level. And then, accordingly, they sell it to Russia,” the insider explained on condition of anonymity.

BIC investigations confirm this trend. For example, in early 2024, the company Brandshandel supplied Finnish watches to Russia for less than $13 each. By comparison, the wholesale price BIC found for a shipment from Türkiye to Turkmenistan was nearly $270. In this case, we observe both the shipment of goods from a prohibited category to Russia and the understatement of their customs value to avoid payments into the Russian budget.

The company Brandshandel is linked to Viktar Sheiman's entourage. [*] [*] The company supplies a wide variety of goods of Western origin to Russia that can be used in the military-industrial complex. These include navigation devices, antennas, data transmission and reception equipment, optical and infrared devices, and bearings. Since the beginning of 2024, Brandshandel has supplied more than $400,000 worth of such goods of European and American origin to Russia. Two other companies from Sheiman’s orbit, Alieksvit ltd [*] and Winshun Trade Limited, made similar supplies. The latter changed its name to Avenir Winsourcing Limited on August 21 of this year. [*]

In 2025, Winshun Trade Limited supplied Russia with goods that were already restricted for export by their countries of dispatch. Polish filters for paint-drying booths and Italian ventilation equipment components subject to EU restrictions were shipped from Latvia to Russia. Aviation tires of British and Japanese manufacture were shipped from Spain,  despite the EU having banned their export to Russia back in October 2022. From the United States, Winshun Trade Limited shipped an aircraft instrument panel and an ignition module. Since May 2023, exporting such goods to Russia has required a license from the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Another way Minsk encourages shipments along the Belarus–Russia route is through shipment documentation.

“Another reason they ship goods through Belarus is that many products require a certificate of origin. Russians generally do not accept certificates of origin along chains of transactions because the sender and recipient do not match. As a result, they have to pay anti-dumping duties. In Belarus, the certificate can be reissued through the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, allowing them to avoid additional charges,” a market insider told BIC.

Previously, sanctioned contraband flowed directly from European Union countries to Russia through Belarus. When exported from Poland or the Baltic States, the cargo was declared as transit through Belarus and Russia to countries in Asia or the South Caucasus. However, these flows could have decreased significantly after July 1, 2024. Then, as part of the “sixth package” of sanctions against Minsk, the EU prohibited “the transit via the territory of Belarus of dual-use goods and technology, goods and technology which might contribute to Belarus’s military and technological enhancement or to the development of its defense and security sector, goods which could contribute in particular to the enhancement of Belarusian industrial capacities, goods and technology suited for use in aviation or the space industry, and arms exported from the Union.” However, according to the BIC source, this scheme still applies to some sanctioned goods.

“There are sanctioned goods that are prohibited from being exported but are permitted to transit. These goods can travel directly from Poland to Belarus. There is an exception there,” the expert said.