EU purchased €1.5 billion worth of sanctioned plywood from Russia and Belarus - investigation
Despite the imposed sanctions , the European Union continues to purchase plywood from Russia and Belarus.
Radio Liberty writes about this with reference to an Earthside investigation , Censor.NET reports.
Investigators claim that seven of the 10 largest Russian exporters of birch plywood continue to supply it to the EU. The material is used in the production of furniture, parquet, sports equipment, and toys.
The plywood is produced in Russia and Belarus, and then is registered as produced in other countries, such as China, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Turkey.
The authors state that the largest importers of plywood are Poland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Every day, 22 containers of the sanctioned product are imported into the EU.
The investigation says that from July 2022, when the restrictions were introduced, to October 2024, when the latest statistics were provided, EU countries purchased plywood worth 1.5 billion euros.
In addition, the authors of the material emphasize that even if the plywood had not been under sanctions, its import could still have been illegal, as the EU bans the import of illegally cut timber. According to the investigators, it may account for a significant percentage of the wood used by Russian suppliers.
