--- title: Russian Timber, Kazakh Papers description: How does sanctioned Russian timber reach the EU? Part 3 of Eco Crimes exposes shadow routes via Kazakhstan and forged origins. image: https://blog.northdata.com/hubfs/Eco%20Crimes%20Final.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.northdata.com/eco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan#main-content) Subscribe to the blog ## Subscribe to the blog [![North Data](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/NDBlog/images/northdata-logo.png?width=600&name=northdata-logo.png "North Data")](https://www.northdata.com/) [![North Data Blog](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/NDBlog/images/blog-logo.png?width=180&name=blog-logo.png "North Data Blog")](https://blog.northdata.com/?hsLang=en) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Decoding Registers](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/decoding-registers) - [Behind The Code](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/behind-the-code) - [Crime Lab](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/crime-lab) - [Deep Into Data](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/deep-into-data) [![North Data](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/NDBlog/images/northdata-logo-mobile.png?width=600&name=northdata-logo-mobile.png "North Data")](https://www.northdata.com/) [![North Data Blog](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/NDBlog/images/blog-logo-mobile.png?width=180&name=blog-logo-mobile.png "North Data Blog")](https://blog.northdata.com/?hsLang=en) Open navigation menu Close navigation menu This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ## Categories - [Decoding Registers](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/decoding-registers) - [Behind The Code](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/behind-the-code) - [Crime Lab](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/crime-lab) - [Deep Into Data](https://blog.northdata.com/tag/deep-into-data) Eco Crimes File 3 # Russian Timber, Kazakh Papers *A timber-scarce country suddenly exports thousands of tons of plywood to Europe. Eco Crimes part three reveals how Russian conflict timber bypasses EU sanctions.* Published on 08-24-2026 by **Christina Brause** - [share via email](mailto:?subject=North+Data+Blog+https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) - [share on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) - [share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) - [share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) --- ![Cross-section of a log featuring an engraved map of Europe against a dark workshop background, illustrating European timber imports.](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Eco%20Crimes%20Final.png?width=983&height=536&name=Eco%20Crimes%20Final.png) In Central Asia, a remarkable economic fairy tale is unfolding. In 2008, the European Union imported just under 2.4 tonnes of birch plywood from Kazakhstan. For thirteen years, until 2021, no imports were reported at all. Just one year later, more than 21,000 tons of plywood crossed EU borders. By 2025, that figure had climbed to nearly 26,000 tons. The problem with this fairy tale is that it is geographically impossible. Kazakhstan is a severely treeless country dominated by vast deserts and steppes. Where, then, is this sudden timber surge coming from? The answer lies further north. Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was one of the world's largest players in the timber market. In 2021 alone, Moscow shipped around 800,000 tons of plywood to the EU. To deprive the Kremlin of financial resources for its war, Brussels has since imposed economic sanctions. While public discussion in the West often focuses on high-tech goods illegally entering Russia, sanctioned raw materials are flowing in the opposite direction along highly complex smuggling routes. The UK-based non-governmental organization Earthsight estimates that since the summer of 2022, so-called conflict timber worth more than [1.5 billion euros](https://www.earthsight.org.uk/media/download/2399) has quietly entered the EU – equivalent to roughly 20 shipping containers per day. ### Genuine Goods, Altered Papers To move sanctioned timber into the EU, Russian and Belarusian producers rely on a network of intermediaries in third countries such as Turkey, China, and Kazakhstan. These intermediaries repackage and relabel the goods. Using fraudulent invoices, tampered certificates of origin, and fake sustainability seals, the true origin is disguised. The cargo then travels to Europe by truck, rail, or ship. The sanctioned timber ultimately reaches importers inside the EU. Undercover investigations by [Earthsight](https://www.earthsight.org.uk/) document the role played by these companies. According to the report, 19 European firms sourced hundreds of containers of illegal plywood through a single Kazakh broker. How the trade operates in practice was documented by investigators during a meeting with the Polish firm Alvi-Bel. According to its website, Alvi-Bel operates as a wholesaler for furniture manufacturers, flooring producers, and construction companies. The company currently moves roughly 2,000 cubic meters of plywood and lamellas per month, dispatching between 40 and 130 truckloads across Europe, including to Germany, Italy, France, and the Czech Republic. Just how confident these traders feel was on display in June 2024 at a warehouse near Warsaw. During a site tour of their birch ply stock, company managers told Earthsight investigators that it was still possible to source plywood from Russian manufacturers, assuring them that the quality would remain unchanged – "meaning from this country where birch grows and people speak Russian". They later provided sample documentation, including a packing label listing Kazakhstan as the country of origin. Alvi-Bel did not respond to a request for comment from North Data Blog prior to publication. ### Integrated into European Industry Once inside the EU, conflict timber enters daily commerce. According to Earthsight, buyers of the relabeled goods included European companies like the Estonian wood processor [Technomar & Adrem](https://www.northdata.com/AS%20TECHNOMAR%20%26%20ADREM,%20Maardu%20linn/RIK%2010282494). Speaking to North Data Blog, the company confirmed purchasing plywood from a Kazakh trader listed in Earthsight's report. However, Technomar & Adrem stressed that all shipments were received with the required origin documentation, which was accepted without objection by Estonian customs authorities. The company added that, to verify the supplier was not a mere shell company, an employee had personally inspected the production site in Kazakhstan. According to Technomar & Adrem, the Earthsight report triggered a wave of media inquiries, which reportedly led several buyers to cancel their purchases of birch plywood. Unable to rule out the supplier's involvement in a broader scheme, the company stated that it ultimately terminated the purchasing relationship "to avoid reputational risks". However, Technomar & Adrem maintained that it cannot abandon imports from Kazakhstan entirely: while less than ten percent of the 30,000 cubic meters of plywood processed in 2024 originated from the country, certain customers – such as manufacturers of hazardous materials packaging – rely on that specific birch plywood. ### Between Internal Audits and Supply Stoppages Another firm identified as having received timber subject to Russian and Belarusian sanctions is the Spanish wood company [Forest Trafic](https://www.northdata.com/Forest+Trafic+SL). The company stated that, following Earthsight's allegations in late 2024, it launched an internal review. According to Forest Trafic, the supplier in question, based in China, denied delivering wood of Russian or Belarusian origin, pointing instead to Chinese processing using Latvian veneer. Forest Trafic noted that this account matched existing documentation, independent FSC certifications, and its own purchasing terms. Nevertheless, the company stated that it took precautionary measures, halting new orders with the supplier and phasing out to fully terminate the business relationship. Forest Trafic also pointed to the limits of its own oversight capabilities, emphasizing that its due diligence relies on documentary verification, traceability information, supplier declarations, and supply-chain controls under EU timber regulations. As an importer, it argued, it is neither an investigative agency nor an investigative journalist equipped to audit complex international corporate networks. Yet the company indirectly acknowledged that deeper checks are possible: Following reviews by Spanish authorities, Forest Trafic updated its verification process to require more detailed proof of origin. It also reduced its number of suppliers outside the EU to allow for tighter control. *This article is part three of our Eco Crimes series. Part one, "[How to hide a mercury business"](https://blog.northdata.com/eco-crimes-file-1-how-to-hide-a-mercury-business?hsLang=en), demonstrates how a German company concealed mercury smuggling behind opaque corporate structures. Part two, "[The hidden flow of Spanish plastic to Malaysia](https://blog.northdata.com/how-plastic-launderers-moved-spains-waste-to-malaysia?hsLang=en)", examines how China's plastic ban fueled illicit waste streams, sending tons of garbage disguised as legitimate commerce to Malaysia.* ![](https://blog.northdata.com/hubfs/brause.jpeg) Christina Brause Investigative Data Journalist & Investigator in Residence at North Data. OSINT, research, data sourcing. Security & DefenceTech. Into fashion. Yes, that’s possible. [christina.brause@northdata.com](mailto:christina.brause@northdata.com) [Christina Brause on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-brause/) - [Email share via email](mailto:?subject=North+Data+Blog+https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) - [LinkedIn share on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) - [Facebook share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) - [X share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.northdata.com%2Feco-crimes-russian-conflict-timber-sanctions-kazakhstan%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) Related Articles [![Interpol detected illegal waste shipments on one in five of the routes investigated worldwide](https://blog.northdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Eco%20Crimes%202%20Animation%20v3%20Gif.gif?width=800&height=450&name=Eco%20Crimes%202%20Animation%20v3%20Gif.gif)](https://blog.northdata.com/how-plastic-launderers-moved-spains-waste-to-malaysia?hsLang=en) ## [The hidden flow of Spanish plastic to Malaysia](https://blog.northdata.com/how-plastic-launderers-moved-spains-waste-to-malaysia?hsLang=en) [by **Christina Brause**](https://blog.northdata.com/how-plastic-launderers-moved-spains-waste-to-malaysia?hsLang=en) [Under the guise of a legal trade, 24 containers of waste reached Malaysia. 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