Former employees of a German subsidiary of the Russian state‑owned postal service have reportedly set up an illegal shipping network in Germany that appears to facilitate the transport of EU‑sanctioned goods to Russia. German newspaper Bild’s Sunday edition reported this week.
Berlin prosecutors have been investigating the case since 2022 for alleged sanctions violations by managers of the purported Russian‑Post subsidiary. Customs officials claim to have discovered several packages containing sanctioned items during random inspections. They plan to charge a former chief executive of the company-who was accused of attempting sanctions breaches in 62 cases-with these violations, a statement confirmed by a spokesperson for the Berlin regional court.
According to Bild, former staff were involved in creating a Cologne‑based logistics firm founded at the end of 2022. The company allegedly serves as a hub for postal parcels from across Europe. Each month, several hundred tonnes of shipments supposedly leave a warehouse southeast of Berlin and are shipped to Russia via the postal system.
The report also claims that the parcels are accepted in Russian‑owned supermarkets in Germany. The shipments appear to be disguised with labels from Uzbek post, even though that service is not authorised to operate in Germany, a fact confirmed by the Federal Network Agency.
To test the system, Bild sent five parcels containing technically unusable, sanctioned goods and GPS trackers. Tracking data showed all five packages travelled through Poland and Belarus before reaching Russia.
Customs officials confirmed that at EU external borders mail is not inspected individually but only in random samples. In response to Bild’s inquiry, the logistics firm asserted: “Our control mechanisms are designed so that violations of EU sanctions are practically impossible”. They added that any shipment not meeting legal requirements would be rejected. However, they acknowledged that they are not immune from complaints about “fraudulent misstatements” as Bild has reported.
The company confirmed its cooperation with Uzbek post but maintains it is legal. UzPost itself has admitted working with private postal providers and said: “They can use our solutions for deliveries”. The Federal Network Agency disagrees, questioning whether Uzbek post is authorised to operate in Germany through a third‑party provider. An agency spokesperson said the case is under review and that unlawful use of Uzbek documents could lead to severe consequences.