Germany-linked logistics company helped supply sanctioned companies in Russia

Logistics firm HT Rus, linked to German-registered Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, is offering “parallel import” services to clients in Russia, including those hit by Western sanctions, Reuters journalists concluded after reviewing Russian tax documents for 2023 and 2024, as well as official corporate registries in Russia and Germany.

What Reuters found out

Before the full-scale war in Ukraine, Hellmann's Moscow office exported tools, spare parts and equipment from the West to Russia, but all these supplies were banned with the introduction of sanctions. Hellmann Worldwide Logistics informed local employees about leaving the Russian market, but some of them "saw new opportunities" and decided to register a new company, Heinrich Tapp Rus (HT Rus), to continue cooperation with "long-standing Hellmann clients," Reuters writes.

The HT Rus website states that the company offers Russian companies the delivery of goods through third countries, such as Turkey or the UAE, bypassing Western sanctions. The company's revenue for 2023 was $17.5 million, and its clients included Aurus (the manufacturer of limousines for Vladimir Putin), KAMAZ subsidiaries, and the Tyumen Battery Plant, which produces batteries for military equipment, among other things.

• For example, in total for the second and fourth quarters of last year, as well as the first quarter of the current one, HT Rus provided services to Aurus for $172,324. Seven transactions for $3,773 were made after the introduction of sanctions against the Russian premium auto brand in February.
• According to Reuters, KAMAZ paid HT Rus $290,725 for services rendered to two subsidiaries and one joint venture.
• The Tyumen Battery Plant paid HT Rus $312,000 for its services, of which about $70,000 was sent after the battery manufacturer was hit with US sanctions in December 2023.

How companies responded

According to corporate records, HT Rus is owned by HT East Management, a firm registered in Germany whose largest shareholder is German businessman Alexander Redeler. Until June, Vladimir Klaus, a dual Russian-German citizen, was listed as a director. Redeler acquired a majority stake in June 2022, having worked for Hellmann's Eastern Europe division from 2017 to 2022.

Redeler said he was unaware of the details of what HT Rus was doing and that he had no influence on its business. HT Rus Managing Director Ruslan Shakirov said he had been in direct contact with Redeler and that the parent company was “fully informed” of HT Rus’s activities, “participates in them” and “gives instructions.” Klaus did not respond to the agency’s request.

Reuters emphasizes that the documents do not specify what exactly HT Rus provided to clients. Representatives of KAMAZ reported that the information in the documents is either incorrect or they have no information about it. Aurus and the Tyumen Battery Plant did not respond to the agency's request.

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics said it had no connection to HT Rus or the people who run it. Reuters found no evidence that Hellmann had violated sanctions.