Finnish customs have confiscated artworks en route to Russia under sanctions imposed by the European Union. The paintings, sculptures and antiques are valued at 42 million euros ($46 million), the agency said.
Last weekend, Finnish customs stopped three shipments to Russia at the Vaalimaa border crossing, the agency said in a press release. The artwork was loaned by Russia to museums and galleries in Japan and Italy.
Sami Rakshit, Director of Finland’s Customs Service, did not provide the exact number of works or details of the artists when asked by the Washington Post.
The Russian Ministry of Culture was quoted by Russia’s Moskva news agency as saying that the artwork was loaned to Italy from St. Petersburg’s Hermitage and Tsarskoye Selo State Museum and Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery, according to Reuters. The Hermitage did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The European Union, like the United States, has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to Finnish Customs that the list of EU sanctions includes artworks, the agency said.
“It is important that sanctions enforcement works effectively. Enforcing sanctions is part of our normal business operations and we always base our controls on risk. The shipments now under criminal investigation were discovered as part of our usual enforcement work,” Rakshit said.
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Customs has launched a preliminary investigation and will continue to consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will raise the matter with the European Commission.
“Finnish Customs will keep the confiscated artworks while they are needed as evidence for investigations. What happens next depends on the outcome of the investigation,” Rakshit told The Post.
The confiscation of artworks came a week and a half after Finnish customs confiscated 21 yachts believed to belong to Russian oligarchs.
Rachel Pannett contributed to this report.