Two Finns sold Russia tens of millions of parts, for example, for missiles.

The sight was heartbreaking. Russia bombed a maternity hospital in Kyiv with a cruise missile. Inside were children with cancer. Survivors were sought in the ruins. Two people died and dozens were injured. The strike was carried out in August 2024 with a Kh-101 long-range missile. Putin's military apparatus has continuously used this missile type, having killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine. The UN investigation reveals that significant aid has been provided from Finland to the Russian military-industrial complex. Two Finnish citizens have sold large quantities of electronics to Russia. This can be used, for example, in missile strikes on targets. The technology sold by Finns can be used to build the brains of missiles. Finland has not previously revealed the export of this type of components to Russia during sanctions. The case is also rare worldwide. House in Italy, company in Hong Kong The UN visited the village of Besozzo in North Italy at the end of September. The Finnish main figure of the international network, Denis Emelianov, bought a vacation home from there. The businessman, born in the Soviet Union, became a Finnish citizen in 2018. Emelianov lives in Luumäe in South Karelia. We have asked him for interviews in front of the camera for weeks, but in vain. However, we have found out that he is spending time in Italy. Emelianov's apartment is located on a plateau above a hill. From there, there are wonderful views of Lake Maggiore. In 2023, he gave an interview to Yle where he stated his opposition to Russia's actions in Ukraine. Emelianov is an entrepreneur who sells specialty knives and has workshops in the center of Lappeenranta. Emelianov also has other businesses. His company PT Technology Asia, registered in Hong Kong, has exported electronic components to Russia for years. However, business grew shortly after Russia began the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Emelianov's company has supplied Russia with over 20 million euros worth of electronics that can be widely used in Russian missiles. Such products could not have been exported directly to Russia from Finland due to EU sanctions. The products ended up in the Russian military-industrial sector companies. US officials appear to have noticed this. In the autumn of 2023, Emelianov's Hong Kong company fell under the export control of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the US Department of Commerce. The agency monitors the export of dual-use goods, i.e., goods applicable to both civil and military use. In the decision, the second address of the company was mentioned as Lappeenranta. Being on the blacklist is a big deal. It practically ended Emelianov's opportunities to do business through US companies and generally limited his access to US technology. Business, however, managed to be profitable for him. Before Russia's invasion, his income in Finland was several tens of thousands of euros. As component trade intensified, Emelianov's taxable income rose to hundreds of thousands of euros. Emelianov travels around the world according to his social media updates. He bought the Italian house in 2024. The UN investigated Emelianov and the other Finnish man in the document Death Merchants (18.10.2026): Office, which does not exist Emelianov was not alone. He has a business partner with a company in Serbia. A company named AK Technology operates in the old city of Belgrade, the capital of the country. It has supplied Russia with more than eight million euros worth of products needed by the Russian military-industrial sector. Russia cannot produce enough of this electronics, so it has created a network that includes companies and businessmen from ten different countries. The Finnish researchers investigated by the UN were part of this large network. Denis Emelianov's Hong Kong company and the other Finnish man's Serbian company have conducted Russian trade independently and together. The men are neighbors in Luumäe. In addition, they are united by an interest in motorcycles. AK Technology was founded half a year after Russia began the invasion of Ukraine. The owner of the company is of Ukrainian-Russian origin, but he obtained Finnish citizenship in 2013. We do not name him as he is, according to our investigation, a bulvar who has been used for the sale of components. We note that a virtual office is operated at the man's company address in Belgrade. It arranges business services for foreign persons, such as a Serbian bank account, address, and necessary permits. All of this is handled remotely from Finland or even Russia. Russian-origin facilitators Why did this honest fifty-year-old man establish a company in Serbia? Who really runs the company? The incorporation documents state the email address of the lawyer residing in Serbia. He leads a law office that has registered a Finnish company and handled its affairs. The lawyer's family roots are in Russia, and the man has close ties to Russians. The Russian mission in Serbia recommends the services of the lawyer to Russians. He is also involved in a Serbian-Russian cultural association that spreads Russian propaganda. The association is considered a soft influence of the Kremlin. The leader of the association is the lawyer's Russian-born mother. Russian army partners Denis Emelianov worked for a pietarian company that sells electronic components before moving to Finland in leadership positions. The company name is PetroInTrade, which changed its name to PT Electronic in 2012. Emelianov has done business with his former employer in recent years. Sanctions have been directed against the company because it helps Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We examined Emelianov and his neighbor's shipments to Russia using international customs data. They have almost identical customers. Most of these companies are connected to each other through business relations and addresses. Many of the companies are found on the list of Russia's military partners compiled by the Ministry of Defence. At least one of the companies manufactures drone technology for the army. The companies themselves also report serving the armed forces. Many of these companies are subject to sanctions because of this. Part of the civilian killer missile According to Ukraine and the UN, the missile strike on a maternity hospital in Russia in July 2024 was intentional. Russia later bombed other maternity hospitals. According to Ukraine, Russia attacks civilian objects because it tries to spread fear and break the will of the Ukrainians to defend themselves. According to the UN, at least 17,000 civilians have died in Ukraine. More than 800 of them are children. Companies from around the world have partially enabled this killing by supplying Western technology to Russian weapons. Two Finnish researchers have sold almost 30 million euros worth of components to Russia. Only a few networks of this size have been revealed in the world. A significant part of the components is applicable to the Kh-101 missile and other missiles that Russia regularly uses to kill civilians. The graphic below shows these examples. The largest customer of the Finns in Russia is a company that is a joint venture for Arzamasin's instrument factory, which specializes in missiles. Parts of the Kh-101 are built at the factory, which keep the missiles stable and find their targets, even if there are obstacles on the route. This also happened in the strike on the maternity hospital. The Kh-101 missile has caused great destruction in Ukraine. According to Ukraine's security service SBU, its researchers have confirmed that Russia has used more than 1,400 such missiles against civilian objects in Ukraine. – As a result of these strikes, 370 people (24 children) have died and 1,096 people (55 children) have been injured, SBU reported to the UN in its message to the MOT. Clan at the core of the network Denis Emelianov's and his Finnish business partner's houses are located in Luumäe, opposite each other. We are here because the owner of the company in Serbia hit us on the nose. We ring the doorbell, but in vain. We guard the house for hours, but no one is seen. We try to call him again. Surprisingly, he answers. We ask about the Serbian company's background. – I don't know. I just opened these companies, I don't know who does all the work, the man says. The reporter asks: So you just gave your name for the use of the company? – Just my name. My Russian friend asked if I could open the company in Serbia. According to the man, the friend's name is Dmitri Popov. The name sounds familiar. Then it flashes: our investigation of the largest Finnish customer is currently in Popov's ownership. This very company supplies products to Arzamasin's missile factory. Popov has appeared in the social media photos of the Russian motorcycle club Wolf Skull Baltia as the leader. Emelianov and his neighbor, as well as Popov, from social media photos, can see that the Finnish man is also a member of the club at least previously. Popov appears to be their long-time acquaintance and has visited Luumäe several times. We know from the social media photos that Popov visits Tallinn, Estonia, often. There are also Wolf Skull club facilities in the Mustamäe district. In the industrial area there are car stores and repair shops. The logo of the club is already visible on one of the house walls. The windows are covered, and there is a surveillance camera on the roofline. We knock on the door, but no one opens it. We visit the club on two different days, but we do not meet anyone. Popov does not respond to our contacts later. Searching for Emelianov We continue searching for Denis Emelianov in Italy. We want him to face the camera and answer a question, for example, whether he consciously helps Russia fight Ukraine. Our stay in the area attracts attention from the neighbors. The Italian police come asking what we are doing. After long attempts, we have to give up. Either Emelianov has already left the vacation home or he does not want to meet. However, we manage to catch Emelianov on the phone. Emelianov denies breaking sanctions and sending parts of the Russian military apparatus to companies serving the Russian military. However, the products also meet the needs of the Russian army and have been sent to companies connected to the country's armed forces. The reporter asks: Have you acted for Russia? – Never, never. I am against the war. I respect Finnish laws and do not want to support the killing of people, Emelianov replies in English. Emelianov later provides a broader statement through a Finnish lawyer. He says he sent products to Russia only for civilian use and has not violated EU sanctions. According to Emelianov, agreements with companies have been terminated as soon as they became subject to sanctions. He also says that publishing the story could endanger the safety of his business partners or their relatives in Russia. The UN publishes Emelianov's name because he has played a significant role in the network. The company also in Dubai Do our investigations still follow the Finnish citizens' trade with Russia? According to the Hong Kong trade register, Emelianov has already stopped his company's operations. His neighbor in Luumäe has initiated the corresponding process in the Serbian company. However, we find out that Emelianov acts as the head of the Norpa Trading company registered in the United Arab Emirates. This company has also exported technology to Russia, although in significantly smaller amounts. The company has two employees who previously represented Emelianov's Hong Kong company. One of them has been in a unit under the Russian military intelligence, the GRU. Russia is known to be acquiring military technology from the West through the GRU. According to Emelianov, his company no longer does Russian trade and the employee left the service of the Russian armed forces years ago. Russia cannot provide fresh customs data, so it is not possible to investigate the activities of the new Dubai company in detail. In a photo published on Facebook in the summer, Emelianov poses with his employees. The caption of the photo can be freely translated: "That's what it is, when the team works around the clock."