Finland investigating attempt to smuggle sensitive nuclear documents to Russia
Finnish Customs is investigating a suspected attempt to violate EU sanctions after discovering nearly 30 boxes of sensitive documents related to nuclear power plant construction that were allegedly bound for Russia, Finnish authorities said on April 17.
"The preliminary investigation has focused on a significant number of archive documents that were attempted to be taken to Russia," the Finnish Customs Economic Crime Investigation Unit said in a statement.
"Based on the preliminary investigation, some of the data is classified as material subject to sanctions against Russia."
Authorities declined to disclose further details but confirmed that the suspect is the managing director of a Finnish construction company linked to the project.
Finnish Customs did not name the company involved but said a decision on charges would follow the completion of the investigation.
Finnish energy companies Fortum and TVO, which operate the Loviisa and Olkiluoto nuclear plants respectively, confirmed their facilities are not involved in the case.
Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border with Russia, has taken a hard line against Moscow following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Nordic country joined NATO in 2023 and closed its entire eastern border in December of that year after accusing the Kremlin of orchestrating an influx of asylum seekers as part of a hybrid operation.
Martin Fornusek
