German-linked logistics firm helps sanctioned Russian manufacturers

Soon after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics informed its Moscow staff it was pulling out of Russia.

However, former employees saw an opportunity and established a new entity.

Before the war, Hellmann’s Moscow office assisted Russian industrial firms in shipping tools, parts, and equipment from the West.

Following the invasion, such shipments were heavily restricted because of international sanctions.

In response, a Russian-registered firm, Heinrich Tapp Rus (HT Rus), whose owners included at least two former Hellmann employees, took over relationships with many of Hellmann’s former clients.

HT Rus’s website offers clients in Russia “parallel imports,” a term for shipping goods via third countries such as Türkiye or the United Arab Emirates to bypass Western sanctions.

Their corporate motto is “New reality – new opportunity.”

Sanctioned clients, activities

Using Russian tax documents for 2023 and 2024 and official corporate registries in Russia and Germany, Reuters found HT Rus has been servicing Russian clients under international sanctions for supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

The firm reported revenues of about $17.5 million last year.

Key clients

• Aurus: The firm manufacturing President Vladimir Putin’s limousines.
• Kamaz Subsidiaries: Makers of Russian military trucks.
• Tyumen Battery Factory: Suppliers of batteries for arms manufacturers.

Reuters could not determine if HT Rus was providing “parallel import” services to these firms as tax documents did not specify the services provided.

Response from clients, HT Rus

Kamaz stated that the information in the tax documents was incorrect or unknown to them. Aurus and Tyumen Battery Factory did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

HT Rus, as an intermediary, helps clients skirt Western sanctions by shipping goods through third countries.

Such activities are only considered a sanctions violation if the goods are covered by sanctions or if the intermediary works with sanctioned entities.

HT Rus stands out because very few public cases have emerged in which European Union citizens have been found doing business with sanctioned entities.

Ownership, corporate structure

HT Rus is owned by a German-registered firm called HT East Management.

In June 2022, Alexander Roedeler, a Dusseldorf businessman who previously worked for Hellmann’s Eastern Europe unit, acquired a majority stake in HT East.

Roedeler now works for German investment group HTP Maximum, whose managing director is former Hellmann manager Patrick Nathe.

HT Rus’s managing director, Ruslan Shakirov, said he dealt directly with Roedeler, who is the current director of the German parent company.

Shakirov stated that the parent company is fully informed about HT Rus’s activities and participates in decision-making.

Regulatory oversight, corporate responsibility

German customs, which oversees sanctions enforcement, stated it could not comment on specific cases but noted that in some circumstances, a German company could be held legally liable for sanctions violations by its foreign subsidiary.

It is prohibited for EU-based parent companies to use their Russian subsidiaries to circumvent sanctions.