Lithuania fines over 6.2 million euros for international sanctions violations

Lithuania's Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) has levied fines exceeding 6.2 million euros in the past year for breaches of international sanctions, highlighting ongoing efforts to circumvent global restrictions. The FNTT's report indicates that sanctions are frequently bypassed through tactics such as the sale of vehicles, dual-use goods, and technologies, alongside document forgery and the deliberate concealment of goods' true origins.

In 2025, the FNTT received 232 reports from financial institutions concerning potential sanction circumvention. Analyses were conducted on 77 of these reports, with some cases referred to other Lithuanian and EU authorities. Fines were predominantly imposed for the export of sanctioned vehicles to Belarus or Russia, the import into the EU of various sanctioned goods, or their export from the EU. Additionally, fines were issued for providing logistics and storage services, and for supplying euro banknotes to legal entities registered in Belarus or for use within Belarus.

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Such practice is usually associated with an attempt to reduce the intensity of control, (...) to bypass restrictions on specific goods for which origin restrictions apply, and also to create a false impression of supply chain transparency, especially when the origin of the goods is a key criterion for applying sanctions.

The FNTT also noted a significant increase in the participation of Lithuanian logistics companies in sanction evasion schemes. These companies often rely on formal contractual language that claims compliance with sanctions while shifting the burden to the client or asserting that goods are not sanctioned or are subject to exemptions. The service observed that these companies rarely undertake actual checks or implement real measures to ensure sanctions compliance, sometimes blaming Lithuanian customs for allowing the passage of potentially sanctioned goods. The report also detailed how sanctions are being circumvented through the sale of vehicles via third countries or by concealing commercial transport.

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However, no real checks or real sanctions enforcement measures are taken. Often, companies blame the Lithuanian customs for the transportation of possibly sanctioned goods, stating that customs let them through.