“Lukashenko's moneybags” and business moguls owning EU companies: The network fueling Russia’s sanctions evasion on tires

This investigation was prepared with the support of the activist group CyberPartisans.

The European Union banned the supply of tires from European manufacturers with Combined Nomenclature code 40111000 to Russia on March 16, 2022, almost immediately after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One and half years later, on September 25, 2023, the truck tires coded 401120 were also put on the list of sanctioned goods. Japan joined the sanctions in both tire categories around the same time, in August 2023.

However, these restrictions were not imposed against Belarus. Some companies have taken advantage of this situation to supply prohibited goods to Russia. 

The BIC analyzed customs declarations containing European and Japanese tires with sanctioned codes and dated between the implementation of the ban and the summer of 2024. Over 286,000 units, valued at approximately $50 million, were imported from Belarus to Russia. Of this amount, $40 million was attributed to passenger car tires, while the remaining $9 million was received from selling truck tires. More than 90% of them were made in the EU.

Leader company: Registered in Poland, supplying law enforcement

In the truck tire market, a single company — SOOO Bagoria — accounted for nearly 80% of all sanctioned European and Japanese tires sold from Belarus to Russia, with sales reaching $7.1 million. This company is in second place with regard to shipments of banned passenger car tires, with an estimated value of $17 million. During the same period, Bagoria also supplied some Ukrainian-produced tires to Russia (Premiorri and Rosava brands) worth $21,000.

Brest-based Bagoria is the major importer of tires to Belarus. It purchases passenger car tires from France, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium (Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli and Goodyear brands). 

After analyzing Bagoria’s involvement in government procurement, the BIC found that Belarusian buyers of its goods included the KGB vehicle park, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Response and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The company's profits increased significantly during the full-scale war. In 2022, the increase was more than twofold compared to 2021, with the value rising from 7 million to 15 million Belarusian rubles (equivalent to $2.7 million and $5.8 million). This growth continued in 2023, with the value reaching 18.8 million Belarusian rubles ($6.3 million).

Henadzi Artysiuk owns almost half of the company. Another 40% is held in the Polish company Investtire Sp. z o.o., which Artysiuk also owns together with his daughter Irina Artysiuk. [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]

In response to a request from the BIC, a representative of Investtire Sp. z o.o. stated that the company has never engaged in any form of cooperation with individuals or legal entities from Russia and has no contacts with Russian organizations. "Our company has not supplied tires to Russia either directly or indirectly," stated the Investtire Sp. z o.o. representative. According to him, the company supplies tires to customers in Belarus in accordance with EU standards and does not circumvent sanctions.

Second best: A merchant from the capital

Another major player is ODO Kolesoplus, a company based in Minsk. This company is responsible for supplying Russia with more than half of the banned passenger car tires, representing a value of $20 million. In the category of banned truck tires, it ranks second, with a revenue of $1.7 million.

Kolesoplus has been in operation since October 1997 and owns tire centers in several Belarus cities. These centers are engaged in putting on tires and tire sales, including tires purchased in Luxembourg, Germany and France (Goodyear, Continental and Michelin brands).

The main shareholder of Kolesoplus, Oleg Shcherbich, is the beneficiary of the Russian company OOO Premium Shina. The company's product range includes European sanctioned tires, and Kolesoplus is among its suppliers. Premium Shina employs only one person, its director Dzmitry Charnavus, who is a Belarus national. [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] 

Oleg Shcherbich’s daughter Jana is a shareholder in the Polish company Opony 24/7 (opony means tires in Polish). According to the company's website, it sells Continental, Michelin, Bridgestone, Hankook, Barum and Fronway tires. The first two brands are the same ones that her father's company supplies to Russia in sanctions circumvention. However, at the time of publication, we have no evidence that the daughter's Polish company is also involved in sanctions evasion. [*] [*] [*] [*]

Kolesoplus' financial performance has been unstable in recent years. In 2021, revenues rose by 54% (from 121 million to 186 million Belarusian roubles – almost $50 million and $73.2 million respectively), fell by 15% the following year, and rose again by 26% in 2023. The company's net profit for 2023 increased by almost 7,000 per cent over the previous year and exceeded 12 million Belarusian roubles (almost $4 million). 

The BIC discovered that Kolesoplus made several deliveries to government agencies, including law enforcement units: the Department of Corrections under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Homel Region, the Main Department for Internal Affairs under the Minsk City Executive Committee, and the Republican Logistics Support Center under the Ministry of Emergency Response of the Republic of Belarus. The company's customers also include the Brest Ice Hockey Club, the Brest Regional Clinical Hospital and the Brest Customs Office. 

Kolesoplus did not win any tenders for supplies but received orders through a single source procurement procedure. This is not a violation of the law, but such a procedure is less competitive. We have reported on similar cases in our previous investigations: a company linked to Lukashenko's "moneybag" making money from holographising Belarus, the redistribution of the endoprosthesis market after the "orthopedic surgeons case", and why Belarus pays more for wholesale supplies of medicines than they cost at retail in Russia and Ukraine.

Links to the top 

Bagoria and Kolesoplus are the largest, but not the only, Belarusian suppliers of banned tires to Russia. Other Belarusian exporters of banned tires include OOO OFS-Export (export volume $213,000), OOO Torgovyi Dom Eksporttorg ($213,000), Private Unitary Trade Enterprise Shate-M Plus ($200,000), Beltamozhservis ($183,000), OOO Subline ($166,000), OOO Sprint Import ($129,000), OOO Aleksvit ltd ($98,000). Some of these companies, according to the BIC, are linked to Lukashenko's entourage.

The director of OFS-Export, Tamara Skrypnik, and the former director of the company, Uladzimir Drachou, were the heads of OOO Logeks. This company belonged to the family of businessman Alexander Shackutin, who had been sanctioned by the EU as Lukashenko's "money bag". Drachou headed it from the end of August 2020 to April 2022, combining this work with the position of director of OFS-Export (from July 13, 2021 to May 31, 2024). Skrypnik replaced him at Logeks and held this position from December 2022 to May 2023, then replaced Drachou as director of OFS-Export in July 2024. Skrypnik's phone number, according to the iBiz.by portal, matches that of the chief accountant of OOO Beltamozhvilia, which is also linked to Shackutin. In Beltamozhvilia's documents, Skrypnik is also listed as the chief accountant in 2020-2021. [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]

One of the owners of Torgovyi Dom Eksporttorg from November 2020 until the end of May 2021 was Alexander Zaytsev, a businessman close to the family of Lukashenko. The current phone number of Torgovyi Dom Eksporttorg is the same as that of the director of OOO Sheinker Group, one of whose founders was also Alexander Zaytsev. Another former owner, Yauhen Krakhotsin, also ran OOO Stiskho. This company was owned by Alexander Zaytsev for more than seven years (from January 2013 to the end of May 2020). [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]

Torgovyi Dom Eksporttorg deals not only with tires, but also with motor oil from Germany produced by BP Europe and the Mercedes-Benz Group. The company also has certificates for the import of meat from Spain.

In 2022-2024, the company was named in more than 30 lawsuits in different regions of Belarus, mainly for failing to declare goods and providing false information about them.

We have discovered that Aleksvit ltd, another supplier of tires to Russia, is connected with Lukashenko's closest associate, Viktor Sheiman. In a previous investigation, we proved that he is involved in the export of sanctioned fertilizers and luxury cars to Russia. 

Our investigation revealed that the phone number for Aleksvit ltd, listed in the Register of Customs Representatives, is the number for the company OOO Krodeks-Garant. This company is the legal successor to OOO Ordozavod, which in turn is the legal successor to OOO Globalcustom, which is associated with Sheiman. [*] [*]

A previous phone number, which was registered to Aleksvit ltd, was also linked to OOO Ordozavod. [*]

The owner of OOO Sprint Import, which also supplies tires to Russia, is OOO Nastoyashchii Servis, which is owned by RUE Beltamozhservis. [*] [*] [*] [*]

The certificates of conformity with the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union of OOO SABline indicate the e-mail and telephone number given as the contact details for the construction company OOO Stroymonolit.

In one of its investigations, the BIC found out that Mikalai Ermashou, whose family owned Stroymonolit, was connected with the head coach of Lukashenko’s hockey team and member of the Council of the Republic Dzmitry Baskau. The current office address of the company SABline is the same office address as OOO GrandGarantBusiness, 30% of which belongs to Dzmitry Baskau. [*] [*] [*]

Shate-M Plus, which the BIC found among suppliers to Russian companies, sells tires and auto parts within Belarus. Its main customers are military units, internal affairs departments and educational institutions.

The company was awarded all its Belarusian government contracts through a single source procurement process. Like several other companies on our list, Shate-M Plus is associated with ice hockey. The company has sponsored several world championships in the sport and was also involved in publishing a book about hockey.

Leaving no trace

In Belarus, tires are on the list of traceable goods. This allows the government to monitor their movement and track each product from producer to consumer. This imposes further obligations on companies: they must use electronic invoices and report to the tax authorities. Lukashenko signed a decree on the introduction of this system in 2020 to “promote greater transparency in the circulation of goods and the development of fair competition, including in the export of goods to the markets of EAEU member states.”

We have sent inquiries to the European Commission and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to find out whether they are aware of the supply of sanctioned products to Russia via Belarus and whether they intend to take action against those involved. 

The BIC also contacted the Polish Ministry of Finance to ask about the legality of the activities of a company engaged in supplying tires to Russia via its owner. We were informed that such information is protected by financial secrecy, but "in accordance with the Act of 13 April 2022 ‘On special decisions to counter support for aggression against Ukraine and to protect national security’, the head of the National Tax Administration may apply to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration with a proposal for restrictive measures and its inclusion into the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration’s sanctions list."

The BIC sent inquiries to Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, Goodyear and Michelin. Only the latter replied. Its email states that Michelin is not aware of "any direct export deliveries of products from the Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques Michelin (MFPM) to Belarus in 2023 and 2024". It also states that the company "undertakes to strictly comply with the economic and financial sanctions imposed and has created a special internal unit to ensure this requirement".