BILD: Uzbek Postal Labels Allegedly Used to Circumvent Sanctions on Shipments from Germany to Russia

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — German newspaper BILD has published an investigation claiming that packages containing sanctioned goods from Germany to Russia were shipped using postal labels from Uzbekistan’s national postal service, UzPost.

In response, UzPost stated that it does not participate in the deliberate shipment of prohibited goods and assigns responsibility for inaccurate declarations to the senders.

According to BILD, the alleged sanction-evading scheme relied on UzPost labels. Journalists, tracking suspicious shipments with hidden GPS devices, found that the operation was organized by former employees of a German subsidiary of the Russian state postal service.

The scheme centers around a logistics company registered at the end of 2022, with a formal office in Cologne but operating from a warehouse near Berlin’s BER airport. Trucks reportedly depart regularly from this site to Moscow.

BILD conducted an experiment by sending five parcels through a service available in Russian supermarkets, equipped with GPS trackers. The declarations listed books and clothing, while the packages actually contained sanctioned electronic components. Each shipment, up to two kilograms, cost 26 euros, paid in cash without a receipt.

The newspaper reported that UzPost labels were affixed to the parcels, although Germany’s Federal Network Agency states that the Uzbek postal service has no authorization to operate in Germany. Sources claim a potential informal arrangement between the Russian and Uzbek postal services. Tracking data indicated that parcels traveled via Poland to Belarus and then to Moscow, crossing the EU border near Brest with minimal inspections. The investigation also mentions Dmitry V., a former head of RusPost previously under scrutiny by Berlin prosecutors.

UzPost emphasized that for e-commerce development, two international exchange points (MOZGR) have been established abroad—in the Netherlands and the United States—in accordance with Universal Postal Union regulations.

For the Netherlands MOZGR, a contract exists with PostPlus B.V., which organizes shipments and transportation, primarily of goods ordered from marketplaces and online stores. UzPost noted that responsibility for accurate customs declarations lies with the sender, and detecting intentionally falsified data amid high mail volumes is “practically impossible.”

The company added that PostPlus B.V. partners are informed about the list of sanctioned goods and must communicate shipping rules to clients. BILD journalists had previously inquired about the legality of using Uzbek postal documents, and UzPost provided an official response on 23 January 2026, confirming that shipments through its MOZGR are lawful.

UzPost concluded by reiterating that it does not participate in the deliberate shipment of prohibited goods from Europe to Russia and is not responsible for false declarations by senders, while expressing readiness to provide further clarification to German authorities if needed.