Four individuals were arrested by the Spanish police in connection with a criminal ring suspected of smuggling 13 tonnes of banned chemicals into Russia, including chemical weapons precursors. This was part of an attempt to evade Western sanction imposed on Ukraine invasion.
According to Reuters, on 15 October, Spanish authorities confiscated 13 tons (including potential precursors of chemical weapons) of prohibited chemicals that were headed to Russia despite sanctions imposed against Moscow for its war in Ukraine.
The European Union, who has imposed extensive Sanctions on Moscow since 2022 is working to clampdown on companies that sell dual-use products to Russia via Central Asian states in order to bypass these Sanctions.
The US and UK have accused Russia for violating a chemical weapons ban in Ukraine. London has sanctioned troops that are alleged to be involved in their use. Russia has denied the accusations, saying that it adheres strictly to its obligations under chemical weapons treaty.
The Spanish police reported the existence of a complex logistical and financial system set up by a Spanish company to export chemical products sanctioned to Russia.
The company had a Moscow-based subsidiary that received the chemicals. It used several shell companies, in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, to hide the true destination of goods. They were then rerouted back to Russia.
The police arrested four suspected members who were believed to be part of a criminal ring that illegally supplied chemical products to Russia in order to bypass Western sanctions. The police statement did not specify the chemicals found in a port container in Barcelona. The four suspects were arrested in nearby villages and are facing charges of sustained smuggling.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced its position on the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory, stating that it condemns the “expansion of battlefields” and “igniting of fire” by either side.
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