In the Netherlands, a company that helped Russia build the Crimean bridge was fined

In the Netherlands, the company Dieseko Group BV, which participated in the construction of the Kerch bridge to Crimea occupied by Russia, was fined almost €1.8 million.

This was reported by a number of media and the Dutch prosecutorʼs office.

The investigation established that in the period from 2015 to 2016, Dieseko Group BV sold installations and accessories for the construction of the bridge and sent technical specialists to the site. The supplier of construction equipment was accused of violating trade sanctions.

The company paid a fine of €180 thousand to the state and was deprived of illegally obtained profit of €1.6 million.

• The European Union introduced sanctions against the Russian Federation in June 2014 after the occupation of Crimea. They included a ban on the sale of goods and the provision of services to companies, individuals and legal entities in Crimea.
• Russia began building the Crimean bridge across the Kerch Strait in February 2016, and put it into operation in May 2018. First, the automobile part was opened (May 15, 2018), then the railway part (December 25, 2019), and the cargo part — at the end of June 2020. The Russian Federation used the bridge to transfer troops and weapons to Crimea.
• On October 8, 2022, a truck exploded on the Crimean Bridge. The explosioncollapsed part of the spans and caused a large-scale fire — the trainʼs fuel tanks were on fire. Russia announced a terrorist attack, and its authorities used the incident to justify missile strikes on Ukraine.
• On July 17, 2023, the bridge was attacked by SBU surface drones, as a result of which one of the spans fell. On September 5, the Russians installed a new airstrip in place of the destroyed one.