A Brussels court on June 11 sentenced three men for operating a criminal organisation that circumvented EU sanctions by exporting military-related and dual-use goods to Russia between 2023 and 2025 [1, 2].
Victor Labin, a Belgian-Russian businessman known as Victor L., was sentenced to five years in prison with part of the sentence suspended and fined €80,000. The court found Labin led a group that used front companies, falsified customs documents, and misdeclared shipments routed through Hong Kong and Kazakhstan to hide the final Russian destination [1, 2].
The exported items included rare earth materials such as yttrium oxide, pressure-sensitive explosive detectors, measuring equipment, and defense-related machinery destined for Russia's military-industrial sector [1, 2].
Another defendant identified as L.R. received a six-year prison sentence and a €80,000 fine. A third, P.I., was sentenced to a three-year suspended term and fined €8,000. The court ordered L.R.'s immediate arrest [1].
Prosecutors described the offenses as political crimes threatening public safety, stating the trade ultimately supplied entities linked to the Russian military [1, 2].
Labin’s lawyer, Stanislas Eskenazi, called the sentence unusually harsh and suggested it may have been influenced by Labin’s Russian background. Eskenazi said the defense is reviewing the verdict and considering an appeal, describing Labin as a businessman engaged in what he maintains was legal trade [1, 2].
An investigative outlet, The Insider, alleged Labin had links to Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU, although the court made no ruling on espionage allegations [2].
The defendants operated their network of exports during 2023 to 2025, using intermediaries and falsified documents to bypass sanctions [1]. The June 11 sentences mark the latest judicial action in the case [1, 2].
