Smoke generators, large undersea obstacles, anti-aircraft guns: the Russian army is currently doing everything it can to defend the 19-kilometer bridge between the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula. The connection between Russia and annexed Crimea is crucial for the battle that the Russians are waging in the south of Ukraine – both in Crimea itself and in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
The entire military logistics of the Russians runs via the Crimean Bridge, analyzed the British Ministry of Defense recently. It is not without reason that the Ukrainian army has recently tried to break the bridge Boats and drones to attack.
The controversial compound has a slightly orange tint. The Crimean Bridge, completed in 2018, is a personal prestige project of President Vladimir Putin. It was “built partly through the use of Dutch knowledge and expertise,” the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) wrote in a statement on Friday. press release. The Public Prosecution Service investigated for a long time the involvement of a number of Dutch companies in the construction of the bridge, which may have violated European sanctions against Russia. This resulted in the first fines on Friday.
Fines and community service
Four companies will pay a total of 160,000 euros in fines for their involvement in the construction. One company must also hand in a profit of 71,000 euros to the justice system. Eight people were also given community service orders of between 20 and 60 hours because of their involvement. These are employees of the companies involved, the Public Prosecution Service confirms, but does not want to say which positions the eight held within the companies.
According to the judiciary, the four companies “intentionally sold components and provided technical assistance for the construction of the Crimean Bridge”, thereby undermining “the purpose and effectiveness of international sanctions”. The Public Prosecution Service does not reveal exactly which companies are involved.
The suppliers shout in unison that they are not afraid of sanctions, and if we buy it, they will ensure that it is delivered
Ilia Roetman Project Manager
Vibratory drills and measuring equipment
The criminal investigation was initiated following a publication in the Gelderlander in 2017. This showed that two relatively small Gelderland companies had supplied parts for piling machines used in the construction of the bridge. It later turned out that five relatively unknown companies supplied products for the construction of the Crimean Bridge, including vibratory drills and measuring equipment. The Dutch are also said to have provided technical assistance at the construction site.
Initially, the research also included the names of much larger companies named – that of paint manufacturer AkzoNobel and transport company Mammoet, for example – but nothing has ever emerged of their involvement.
The work on the bridge was a violation of European sanctions, which were imposed after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and also carried out “destabilizing” attacks in eastern Ukraine. President Putin also awarded the construction of the Crimean Bridge to the company Strojgazmontazj of oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, according to the European Commission, “a long-time acquaintance of President Putin and his former judo sparring partner.”
My conclusion so far is that most Member States do not yet fully know what to do
Government official
Even after MH17 no idea
The fact that the first Dutch involved parties and companies have now been fined, after they came into the picture thanks to journalistic investigative work, is a success for the judiciary. But it also underlines a painful fact: after imposing the Russia sanctions in 2014, the Netherlands did virtually nothing to actually implement them. The downing of flight MH17 with a Russian Boek missile, which killed 196 Dutch people, did little to change that.
Out pieces That NRC previously requested in reliance on the Open Government Act (Woo), it turned out that government agencies and investigative services had no idea what to do after the Ukraine invasion in February last year. After the large-scale Russian attack on the neighboring country, European sanctions were significantly expanded. But hardly anything appeared to be arranged for its implementation. For example, in March last year, “it was not very clear what investigative powers are available to proactively collect information,” officials at the Ministry of Justice and Security wrote to each other.
After the first European consultation on the sanctions – in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to participate – the Dutch official present concluded: “My conclusion so far is that most Member States do not yet fully know what to do. Not every Member State has sanctions legislation and often these are mainly political intentions [tegoeden] to freeze.”
The European sanctions following the Crimea annexation had already been in effect for almost eight years. Ultimately, it took until April 2022 before the government really started implementing the Russia sanctions.
The foreign companies that participated in the construction of the Crimean Bridge from 2015 did not feel hindered by the sanctions, Ilia Roetman, one of the project leaders, told Russian media at the time: “The suppliers of international materials have often visited me. They shout in unison that they are not afraid of sanctions, and if we buy it, they will ensure that it is delivered.”
According to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti International companies often opened a Russian BV to house their activities, so that the delivery of products and services on paper came from Russia and would therefore not raise alarm bells in Europe. The fact that sanctions had been imposed could not have escaped the attention of the companies involved: the official contract for construction stated that the sanctions should not serve as an excuse for late delivery of the project.
75 criminal investigations
With the fines and community service that the Public Prosecution Service announced on Friday, the investigation into sanction violations during the construction of the Crimean Bridge has not yet been completed. According to the judiciary, it has also been established that three other companies have committed criminal offenses by participating in the construction. The fine for those companies will be determined in the coming months, the Public Prosecution Service spokesperson said. An unknown number of people will also appear in court.
Since last year, the number of criminal cases for violations of sanctions legislation has increased rapidly. According to the Public Prosecution Service, there are now 75 criminal investigations into other violations of Russia sanctions, with some suspects having been in pre-trial detention for some time. The Public Prosecution Service does not provide any information about who they are and what they are suspected of.