After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions, in particular, banning the import of luxury goods into the Russian Federation. The restrictions also included expensive cars, which the Russian elite had become accustomed to. However, within a year of the start of the full-scale war, businessmen were found who established schemes for supplying such cars through the countries of the so-called "gray bloc".
According to StopKor's investigation, Ukrainian citizen Vyacheslav Belimenko may be among the organizers of such schemes.
In March 2024, Belimenko registered the company Smart NV sro in Slovakia. Within a few months of registration, this company purchased two luxury cars from the German company AUTOHAUS BÜCKEBURG:
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BMW M5;
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Mercedes-Benz GLS 450.
The total value of the deal was almost 225 thousand euros.
These cars were then resold to the Kazakhstani companies RR-LOGISTICS&TRADE and AMANAT 777. This scheme is used to circumvent sanctions: European cars are first imported to Central Asian countries, and then to Russia.
Journalists tracked the movement of both cars using their VIN codes:
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Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 caught fire at Russian customs;
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The BMW M5 was discovered on the Belarusian car sales website Avito — it stated that the car was located in Minsk.
Belimenko is not only involved in car schemes. The investigation indicates that he may have obtained Russian citizenship in 2014 in occupied Crimea. In 2018, an apartment worth $172,000 was purchased in his name in Moscow.
At the same time, his mother was buying up real estate near Kyiv. Belimenko himself became the owner of a plot of land in Spain, which was estimated at more than 2 million euros.
The journalists' materials mention that Belimenko's possible business partners are associated with the Russian company "Leader TM", which operates in the field of electronics and telephone sales.
At the time of publication of the investigation, Belimenko himself did not answer journalists' calls. His alleged partner from the German company AUTOHAUS BÜCKEBURG, Andriy Teneta, stated that he was ready to comment on the situation only through his lawyer.
