Polish authorities have detained five men accused of organising the illegal import of timber products from Russia and Belarus in breach of European Union sanctions, prosecutors said. Three Polish nationals and two Russian citizens were arrested on December 18 in an investigation led by the district prosecutor’s office in Gdańsk into alleged large-scale sanctions evasion involving wood-based products, including plywood and timber slats, according to a report published by Charter’97.
The suspects, aged between 43 and 64, face charges under Poland’s 2022 law on countering support for aggression against Ukraine and protecting national security, as well as provisions of the fiscal penal code. Prosecutors allege that the imports violated EU non-tariff restrictions imposed on Russian and Belarusian timber following the invasion of Ukraine.
Alleged schemes to conceal origin of sanctioned goods
Investigators say that between 2022 and 2024 a group of companies registered in Poland’s Pomeranian region systematically circumvented EU sanctions targeting Moscow and Minsk. The regulations in question include updated EU Council measures restricting trade in wood products originating from Russia and Belarus.
According to the Gdańsk prosecutor’s office, individuals acting on behalf of Polish firms employed multiple methods to disguise the true origin of the goods. These included simulating deliveries under supposedly pre-existing contracts, declaring false countries of origin such as Kazakhstan or Turkey, and misclassifying products under incorrect customs tariff codes to make them appear exempt from sanctions, as detailed in an official statement published on the Polish government website gov.pl.
Wider EU concerns over timber imports
The arrests come amid growing concern in Brussels and EU capitals that sanctions in the timber sector are being routinely bypassed. In January 2025, the environmental watchdog Earthsight reported that from July 2022 to October 2024 sanctioned plywood worth around €1.5 billion entered the EU despite formal restrictions. The investigation found that Russian and Belarusian plywood was frequently rebranded as originating in third countries before being sold on the European market.
Earthsight estimated that an average of 22 containers of sanctioned plywood were entering the EU each day, with Poland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal among the largest importers. Similar findings were echoed in early December by German broadcaster SWR, which uncovered continued imports of Russian birch timber routed through China and relabelled before reaching Europe.
Enforcement gaps and political implications
The case highlights persistent vulnerabilities in the EU’s sanctions enforcement framework, particularly where complex supply chains and private intermediaries are involved. European officials have repeatedly warned that revenues from timber exports contribute to the state budgets of Russia and Belarus through taxes and export earnings, indirectly supporting the war against Ukraine.
Polish prosecutors say the current investigation demonstrates that even sophisticated evasion schemes can be uncovered with sustained oversight and political will. The case is likely to increase pressure on other EU member states to strengthen customs controls and improve coordination to prevent sanctioned goods from re-entering the bloc through indirect routes.
