Yuri Kobzar18:30, 05/19/23

The journalists found out that Prigozhin’s transnational criminal empire is successfully operating under Western sanctions.

Yevgeny Prigozhin bought tens of thousands of helmets from China at the end of last year, when his Wagner Group swelled to a record high due to the influx of prisoners from prisons. The Financial Times writes about this based on an analysis of customs declarations.

The publication found that companies controlled by Prigozhin, used to support Wagner’s operations in Africa, continued to freely purchase and sell various goods through international markets. And all this happened in the context of “a flurry of Western sanctions” imposed against the “Wagner Group”, recognized as a “transnational criminal organization.”

Based on customs declarations, journalists found out that the Russian company Broker Expert, associated with Wagner, which did not fall under any sanctions, purchased 20,000 polymer-based helmets in four batches worth about $ 2 million from a small Chinese company Hangzhou Shinerain Import And Export Co. November and December last year. At the same time, the Chinese company claims that the helmets are intended for “gaming use.”

(C)UNIAN 2023