Belgian Court Sentences Businessman for Illegal Export of Sensors and Chemicals to Russia

In Belgium, a Brussels court sentenced Belgian-Russian citizen Viktor Labin to five years in prison for the illegal export of dual-use goods and chemicals to Russia.

The judges classified this offense as a “political crime,” according to Politico.

The investigation established that the convicted man played a central role in shipping over 400 tons of various products to Russia.

Among the dual-use goods exported were special sensors used to detect and control explosions, as well as yttrium oxide—a raw material for many advanced industries, including the military, aerospace, and electronics sectors.

To carry out this scheme, Labin, together with a Brussels-based entrepreneur, falsified customs documents. They routed shipments through companies in Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to conceal the final destination of the military and technological products in Russia.

The businessman’s son, Ruslan Labin, is also implicated in this case; according to the prosecution, he acted as the direct intermediary during the import of goods to Moscow. The court sentenced him in absentia to six years in prison and issued an arrest warrant for him.

Viktor Labin has already spent one year in custody at the Kharen prison. According to his lawyer, taking into account the time already served, the convicted businessman may be eligible for parole in just a few months.