The Kazakhstani company TOO Elem Group has been included in the new package of sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia. In December of the previous year, it was listed in the registry of sanctioned companies by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, as reported by Vlast.kz.
In total, 27 new legal entities have been added to the registry, which "contribute to Russia's military power, technological advancement, or the development of the defense and security sector by adding components for the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles."
In June of the previous year, "Radio Azattyk" released an investigation stating that the Kazakhstani company Elem Group was registered on March 14, 2022—just a few weeks after Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to "Azattyk's" information, the company was closely linked to the Russian firm "Strela E-Commerce," which, since January 2023, received no fewer than 300 batches of electronics from Elem Group.
In 273 batches, there were goods of dual-use marked in U.S. sanction lists as "high-priority." One of the founders of Elem Group, Russian businessman Kirill Tulyakov, is a founder of "Strela E-Commerce," which supplied LEDs to the Russian company "Rusalox." This company, in turn, is a subsidiary of the RUSNANO corporation, a participant in Russian military-industrial supplies.
In March 2023, ownership of Elem Group transferred to Kazakhstani lawyer Maksat Artykov, who, in a conversation with Azattyk, stated that he is against Russia's war in Ukraine and does not believe that his company helps Russian authorities bypass sanctions.
However, in December, the then Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, Alibek Kuantyrov, claimed that there was no actively operating company in Kazakhstan subject to secondary sanctions. He mentioned that the Kazakhstani company Elem Group, engaged in the trade of electronic and telecommunication equipment, is not under sanctions—only "certain restrictions" have been imposed by the Ministry of Trade and Integration.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 23, 2024