Finnish Government news , Finnish Customs have seized four batches of Russian military aircraft spare parts on the southeast border with Russia, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) reported Tuesday.
The smugglers attempted to ship the equipment, mainly spares for Sukhoi fighters, via Finland to China and Serbia and Montenegro.
Individuals suspected by the Finnish authorities are Russians, some of whom resident in Finland. One Russian national has been given a fine in Lappeenranta in eastern Finland.
A Customs representative who prefers to remain anonymous said there was reason to assume that none of the parts was intended for civilian aircraft.
The items held by Customs include altimeters, navigation instruments, radar systems, fighter pilot's helmets and instruments containing beryllium, an alkaline earth metal used in nuclear weapons as a reflector and moderator.
“Finnish legislation defines substances used in nuclear weapons that are subject to control. Beryllium does not feature on the list. But one does try to control the trade in pure beryllium out there in the world,” said Esko Ruokola, section head at the nuclear waste management department of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
Those suspected of the smuggling attempts were couriers who in all probability were not aware that they were bringing illegal material into Finland, Customs said. The shipments were falsely labelled, some as car spare parts.
Customs added that Russian authorities had taken the matter seriously and were conducting their own investigation. Russian Customs said they could not comment as the investigation was ongoing.
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