An investigative report jointly conducted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Schemes project, Gazeta Wyborcza, and the Belarusian Investigative Center has unveiled a concerning pattern of Belarusian timber entering the European Union market via Poland, despite stringent sanctions imposed by the EU.

The investigation sheds light on how Belarusian timber, banned under EU sanctions, is being illicitly supplied to Poland under falsified documentation, masquerading as wood from Kazakhstan.

The European Union implemented extensive sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus in March 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

These sanctions encompassed Belarusian timber, which historically has been imported into the EU with an annual value exceeding $1 billion.

Despite the sanctions, the investigation reveals a surge in wood imports from Kazakhstan to Poland, escalating from $15 million to nearly $74 million between 2022 and 2023.

This surge is particularly alarming considering Kazakhstan’s limited forested areas and minimal previous contributions to EU timber imports.

Scrutinizing a contract and associated documents regarding a timber purchase worth approximately 1 million euros ($1.1 million) between Polish company PLRBL and Kazakh entity Nurr-electro, journalists unearthed troubling discrepancies.

Representatives of Nurr-electro denied ever entering such an agreement, while forensic analysis indicated falsified seals and signatures on the documents.

Furthermore, a Belarusian company named Gallardo, responsible for transporting the timber, disclosed to investigators that their carriers never traversed to Kazakhstan; instead, the goods were loaded within Belarus itself.

This illicit scheme purportedly operated in collusion with Belarusian company SO RBL, owned by Oleh Yanovych, who also serves as the chairman of the board at Polish PLRBL.

The investigation’s findings were presented to Polish authorities, although customs officials expressed limitations in verifying all customs declarations due to capacity constraints.

Poland’s Interior Ministry confirmed the initiation of an investigation based on the provided evidence but refrained from divulging further details.

Recent reports from Ukrainska Pravda in late February highlighted a related concern: Polish truckers increasingly importing substantial volumes of Russian grain via Belarus.

While these products were not subject to sanctions, their surging imports coincided with protests by Polish farmers against agricultural imports from Ukraine.

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