Small team, big sanctions: EU hits one-man Kazakh firm over Russian supplies
The European Union has adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes Kazakhstan-based United Trading Group. EU officials said the company may have been involved in schemes to circumvent export restrictions, as well as in supplying products used in high-tech manufacturing.
Read also: Beyond borders: A UK lawyer’s roadmap to avoiding sanctions in Central Asia.
The sanctions package targets 16 organizations from third countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. According to EU authorities in Brussels, these entities are suspected of supplying dual-use goods or equipment to support Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Alleged links to German supplier
The EU said United Trading Group is associated with the German firm UrSeCo Handels GmbH & Co. KG, which allegedly supplied high-purity hydrogen chloride (HCl), a chemical used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Company background and financial profile
Official records show the company was registered March 17, 2022, in Almaty’s Medeu district, shortly after the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Despite being classified as a small business with only one employee earning a minimum monthly salary of 85,000 tenge ($180), the firm reportedly pays millions in taxes.
Ownership and operations
Alimzhan Bekov is listed as the sole founder and the company’s first director. United Trading Group is registered as a wholesale distributor of a broad range of goods, without specifying product categories, and operates in retail spaces exceeding 2,000 square meters.
