The Ural plant Elektrokhimpribor sells nuclear elements to Sweden through a company that may be associated with Russian intelligence services. This was reported by the Dossier Center and the Swedish publication Expressen.
The European Union has not imposed sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry. As Bloomberg reported, in 2022, despite the war in Ukraine, Rosatom's exports, including to the United States and European countries, increased by 20%.
Having studied Russian customs data, investigators found that for the last nine years, isotopes have been delivered to Sweden by forwarding companies Vealog AB and BDP-International AB, which were founded by Vyacheslav Kaizin, a citizen of Moldova and Sweden.
Dossier and Expressen write that since 2018, Vealog AB has been ordering isotopes from the Elektrokhimpribor enterprise, which is part of the Rosatom state corporation, directly to Kayzin’s home address — a residential villa near Stockholm. He himself denies this.
“I have never ordered anything from the company you mentioned, or from any other company that is involved in the production of nuclear weapons or any other types of military products. I have forwarding and transport companies that offer transport services to both Swedish and foreign companies,” Kayzin told Expressen journalists.
Neonest AB is another company that, according to investigators, ordered isotopes to Kayzin’s home address. It belongs to a Swedish citizen of Russian origin, Peter Vasiliev. Neonest AB openly sells nuclear cells online. In a conversation with Expressen journalists, Vasiliev admitted that he buys products in Russia and does not see a moral dilemma in this.
“My attitude is that we supply products for medical use, which is about 80% of our customers. If we cut off supplies, how do you think that will affect people in Europe and the US waiting for cancer or heart disease treatment?” — Vasiliev told Expressen journalists.
In addition, the entrepreneur confirmed that he is cooperating with Kaizin forwarding companies, which are helping him organize the delivery of isotopes to Sweden. Investigators found that Vasiliev's largest clients are the Angstrom Laboratory at Uppsala University and the Karolinska Medical Institute.
According to Dossier and Expressen, Swedish authorities suspected Vyacheslav Kaizin and another Russian with a Swedish passport, Sergei Skvortsov, of espionage and connections with GRU. The latter, according to investigators, supplied sanctioned electronics to the Russian military industry through a network of European companies. Skvortsov was detained and arrested in November last year, but was released from custody 11 months later.
It is unknown when exactly the Swedish authorities became interested in Kayzin. According to investigators, he now appears in the Skvortsov case as a witness.