After the war in Ukraine broke out, the U.S. and the European Union began imposing sanctions on Kazakhstani companies suspected of shipping dual-use goods to Russia. Kursiv.media investigated the fate of 10 such companies, all of which are still operating in Kazakhstan.
Blacklisted Kazakhstani companies:
- CPS Energy LLP.
- Kazstanex LLP.
- Zapchasttrade LLP.
- MetalStan LLP.
- Rabadasia LLP.
- TawKz LLP.
- Catu Tech LLP.
- KBR-Technologies LLP.
- Elem Group LLP.
- Da Group 22 LLP.
Kursiv.media attempted to contact all of these sanctioned companies. Six firms, which were sanctioned in 2023 and 2024, could not be reached by phone: the contact numbers listed online and on the government procurement website were either invalid or no longer in service.
The seventh company did not respond to calls to the number listed on its official website or to an email inquiry. Contact information for the eighth company could not be found. A representative of the ninth company, Elem Group LLP, refused to answer a journalist’s questions and hung up.
Konstantin Abakirov, the owner of CPS Energy LLP, was the only company representative who agreed to comment.
Why did CPS Energy not appeal the sanctions?
Abakirov said that after the company was sanctioned in November 2024, banks stopped cooperating with it.
«After my company was added to the sanctions list, operations practically came to a halt. When I asked why, no bank had the courage to say it was because of the sanctions; they all cited internal policies,» Abakirov recalled.
At the same time, he noted the company cannot yet be liquidated due to «obligations that cannot be fulfilled because of the sanctions.»
«Appealing the sanctions is impractical because there are no specifics,» he said. «The company’s activities do not directly fall under the sanctions; we did not deal with dual-use goods. It’s a vicious circle. I don’t plan to start an alternative business; I don’t have the resources or the opportunity. For now, I’m on an unplanned vacation.»
CPS Energy was registered in Kazakhstan in 2020. According to Abakirov, the company supplied equipment and technology for combined heat and power plants, as well as related industries.
According to data from the EGov.kz portal, CPS Energy is registered as a wholesale trade business dealing in a wide range of goods. Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) records show that in 2024, the company paid 52.8 million tenge (approximately $112,000) in taxes, more than in the previous two years combined.
What Kazakhstani sanctioned companies have in common?
Industry: Half of the companies were involved in supplying electronic equipment, while the other half specialized in selling auto parts and metalworking machines.
Year of establishment: Four companies were registered immediately after the war in Ukraine began, and two more were founded in 2023. The remaining four had been established several years before the war.
Russian ties: Most of the companies are subsidiaries of Russian enterprises.
Tax payments: Most of these firms continue to pay taxes, except Rabadazia LLP. Founded in the fall of 2023, it reported no revenue for either 2023 or 2024, according to the SRC. Unlike the others, Rabadazia supplied construction materials and provided facility installation services.
Legal status: All 10 companies remain legally registered, except for Elem Group LLP, which is in the process of liquidation, according to SRC data.
Elem Group was established in mid-March 2022 and specialized in trading electronic and telecommunication equipment. The company was sanctioned by the EU in the summer of 2023 for allegedly supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex and circumventing trade restrictions.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Economy stated in 2023 that the company’s potential sanctioning had been anticipated, and as early as May 2023, Elem Group had ceased its import and export operations.
