Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence uncovered a sanctions evasion scheme by Russian agricultural tycoons in the EU
Kyiv • UNN
According to intelligence, the Dolgov brothers may be using the Lithuanian company UAB Dognus to circumvent sanctions. Their agricultural holding company earns money in the EU and finances the Russian Federation’s war.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR) has uncovered another sanctions-evasion scheme used by Russian agricultural magnates from the Kaliningrad region. UNN reports this with reference to the HUR statement.
Details
It is noted that Aleksandr and Dmitry Dolgov use their profits to finance Russia’s genocidal aggression against Ukraine.
The Dolgov brothers are the founders and owners of DolgovGroup, the largest agricultural enterprise in the Kaliningrad exclave. The company cultivates more than 50% of the region’s land and is engaged in crop production, animal husbandry, processing, and the sale of agricultural products. Every year, the Dolgovs’ business produces more than 300,000 tonnes of grain. The holding has grain elevator capacity of 240,000 tonnes and its own railway fleet for transporting grain crops and vegetable oils
It is indicated that, in addition to wheat, the brothers export corn, rapeseed, barley, rye, and rapeseed oil.
At the same time, DolgovGroup is not under sanctions, earns money on the European market, and helps sponsor Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine — both through taxes paid to the budget of the aggressor state, Russia, and through systematic financial and material support for units of the Russian occupation forces
Background
In 2012, the Dolgov brothers became co-founders of the Lithuanian company UAB Dognus. Despite the formal change of owners in 2016–2018, there is a high probability that the Dolgovs in fact retained control over this entity. Dognus carried out extensive trading operations with enterprises linked to DolgovGroup, including the purchase of Russian grain.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, UAB Dognus sharply increased its operations. Thus, in 2022, the company’s assets grew from €7.48 million to €42.96 million, cash holdings rose from €86.7 thousand to €23.21 million, and revenue reached €55.1 million.
Dognus’s cross-border activity also increased significantly: of the 708 import-export operations carried out in 2018–2023, 674 took place between January 1, 2022, and January 17, 2023.
According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, the Dolgov brothers may be using UAB Dognus as a shadow European company to circumvent sanctions restrictions and accumulate financial resources in an EU jurisdiction.
Reminder
European banks are increasingly blocking accounts and checking clients with Russian passports. The Russian Federation has been included on the list of countries at high risk of money laundering.
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