Exclusive: German-linked logistics firm helped sanctioned Russian manufacturers

By Tassilo Hummel , Anton Zverev and Maria Tsvetkova
July 16, 20241:25 AM EDTUpdated 3 hours ago

PARIS, July 16 (Reuters) - Soon after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, freight shipper Hellmann Worldwide Logistics informed staff at its Moscow business it was pulling out of Russia. Some people who had worked for the German company saw an opportunity.

Before the war, Hellmann's Moscow office had helped Russian industrial firms ship to Russia tools, parts and equipment from the West but, after the invasion, such shipments were heavily restricted by international sanctions. Instead, a Russian-registered firm called Heinrich Tapp Rus (HT Rus) - whose owners at the time included at least two former Hellmann employees - took over the relationship with many of Hellmann’s old clients.  

HT Rus's website offers clients in Russia "parallel imports", a term widely used to describe shipping goods via third countries such as Turkey or the United Arab Emirates to get around Western sanctions. In its marketing material, the firm adopted a corporate motto: "New reality – new opportunity."  

Using Russian tax documents for 2023 and 2024, and official corporate registries in Russia and Germany, Reuters found that HT Rus has been providing services to Russian clients placed under international sanctions for supporting the Kremlin's war machine.   

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