German-linked company apparently helps Russians circumvent Western sanctions - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
The German-linked logistics company Heinrich Tapp Rus, according to Reuters research, helps sanctioned Russian companies that support the Russian military industry. It is involved in parallel imports with a number of countries.
Heinrich Tapp Rus allegedly cooperates with Russian companies that have been sanctioned for supporting the Russian military industry.The conclusion was made by Reuters journalists, UNN reports.
Details
After analyzing tax documents for 2023 and 2024, as well as business registers in Russia and Germany, Reuters journalists found that the logistics firm Heinrich Tapp Rus (HT Rus) helps Russian companies under international sanctions to circumvent restrictions. These are companies that support Russia's military industry.
Under the slogan "New reality - new opportunities", relations with Aurus, KAMAZ and Tyumen Battery Plant and other representatives of the Russian Federation.
HT RUS was founded by at least two former employees of the Moscow office of the German company Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, which, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, supplied Western equipment to Russia. After the start of the great war, Hellmann Worldwide left Russia.
Heinrich Tapp Rus (HT Rus), in turn, has taken over the business relationships with many of Hellmann's old customers.
The HT Rus website offers Russian customers so-called parallel imports via Turkey, the UAE, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
"New reality - new opportunities," the company advertises on its website.
Based on data from 2023 and 2024, the researchers conclude that HT Rus provided services to Russian clients who were subject to international sanctions for supporting the Kremlin's military machine.
The company's clients include the Russian car brand Aurus, whose limousines are used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also, subsidiaries of KAMAZ, a manufacturer of Russian military trucks. In addition, the Tyumen Battery Plant, which supplies batteries for weapons manufacturers.
All three companies are under US or EU sanctions.
Another client of HT Rus is the optoelectronic equipment manufacturer JSC Proton, whose CEO Vyacheslav Menshov was awarded a medal for "assistance" in Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
It is important to note that Reuters journalists were unable to establish whether HT Rus provided these companies with services related to parallel imports. It is noted that the tax documents of these companies do not disclose the nature of cooperation with HT Rus. But according to Russian tax documents, HT Rus reported a turnover of about $17.5 million in 2023.
