Two Finnish companies have been placed on a Russia-connected sanctions list by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
In a statement, the OFAC noted that the Finnish firms have shipped foreign electronics to Russia-based end-users, including drones, UAV cameras, high-performance optical filters, and lithium batteries.
"Finland-based logistics firms Siberica Oy (Siberica) and Luminor Oy (Luminor) have sent a wide variety of electronics into Russia," the statement said.
The companies in question are small in size but they are interconnected, as they have the same CEO — who has also been added to the sanctions list.
Siberica is a warehousing company while Luminor is a logistics firm.
Russia labels Finnish NGO "undesirable"
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has meanwhile designated the Finnish NGO EastCham Finland an "undesirable organisation".
"Based on the results of an inspection by the Prosecutor General's Office, it has been decided to declare the activities of EastCham Finland as undesirable in Russia," the Prosecutor General's Office stated on its Telegram channel.
EastCham Finland's mission is to promote trade as well as economic relations between Finland and Russia.
The Prosecutor General has however accused EastCham of trying to advise Finnish companies on how to "illegally" exit the Russian market.
EastCham Finland's CEO Jaana Rekolainen told Yle that the organisation has itself begun the process of leaving Russia, adding that the Prosecutor General's decision will have little impact.
He also denied the accusation that the NGO illegally aided Finnish companies looking to pull out of the Russian market.
"Of course, we have also helped Finnish companies to leave Russia, but we have advised them to do it correctly and legally," Rekolainen said.
Under Russian law, a foreign or international NGO can be declared an "undesirable organisation" if its activities are deemed to threaten "the constitutional order of the country, defence capabilities or state security".
Between 2015 and 2023, more than 100 foreign and international NGOs have been added to the list of undesirable organisations, including Greenpeace, Transparency International, and the Meduza news service.
The "undesirable" status of makes it difficult for companies or organisations to operate in Russia.
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