A Kazakh company and several individuals have been added to the EU sanctions list

Kazakhstan has not officially joined Western sanctions against Russia and does not intend to do so

In the new, 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions approved the day before by the EU Council, the Kazakh company United Trading Group and its head, Alimzhan BEKOV, were included, Kazakh media reported, according to fergana.agency.

Brussels accused the company and its director of systematically circumventing the sanctions regime and organizing the re-export of chemical raw materials to Russia.

The story of United Trading Group is almost a textbook example of how gray trade with a country at war operates. According to Kazakhstan’s public registries, the company officially employs only one person with a minimum salary of 85,000 tenge – yet it paid taxes that were disproportionate to such a small staff. Investigators in Brussels found that Bekov represented the interests of a German firm and built supply chains for chemicals that ultimately ended up in Russia’s military-industrial complex.

• Two more individuals named in the new package are Dmitry MALYUTA and Denis SHISHKIN. They are accused of organizing supplies of Kazakh cotton pulp used in the production of gunpowder for the needs of the Russian army.
• Another individual under personal sanctions is Azret BEKKIYEV, a native of Almaty – First Deputy General Director of the United Instrument-Making Corporation, which is part of Rostec and produces automated control systems for military equipment.

This is neither the first nor the only case of Kazakh entities being included in sanctions lists. In February 2025, as part of the 16th package, the companies Kazstanex and MetallStan were also placed under restrictions for supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex. In total, of the 58 companies linked to the Russian military industry in the 20th package, 16 are registered in China, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.

Astana has long found itself in an extremely uncomfortable position: officially, Kazakhstan has not joined Western sanctions against Russia and does not intend to do so, yet some Kazakh entrepreneurs clearly view the situation as a business opportunity. As early as January 2025, the EU’s Special Envoy for Sanctions, David O’SULLIVAN, visited Astana specifically to warn that companies for which there is “irrefutable evidence” of involvement in circumventing restrictions would be added to the lists regardless of diplomatic relations. His words were backed by action – the 20th package clearly confirmed this.

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