Among them are not only transit companies, through which cereals are transported onwards via Latvia, but also food and alcohol producers and others.
Director of the Border Control Department of the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD), Iveta Šice-Trēde told the LETA agency that currently neither the European Union (EU) nor Latvian regulations limit the import of food products from Russia. They are controlled at the border as usual. However, consumers will be interested to learn about which companies continue to trade with the aggressor state even after more than a year and a half of slaughter in Ukraine.
The relevant list includes both companies that imported food products once this year and companies that do so regularly.
Out of a total of 81 companies listed in the list, the largest representatives of the logistics industry by turnover are SIA "Baltic Container Terminal", SIA "Cargo Concept", SIA "Compass Transit", SIA "Alpha osta", SIA "Jaunzeltiņi" and its related SIA "WT Terminal ", SIA "Apeks serviss", SIA "Ekers Stividors LP" of Liepāja Special Economic Zone, SIA "Prodimpekss logistikas grupa", SIA "Ventspils Grain Terminal", SIA "Transit Service Agency", as well as SIA "Ilior".
In total, the list includes 19 companies that provide cargo handling, warehousing and transport services.
In addition, several food and beverage manufacturers have also received food products from Russia in Latvia at least once in 11 months. Among them are AS "Amber Latvijas balzams", SIA "Pobeda Confectionery" which is included in the blacklist of the State Security Service, SIA "Voldemārs", a food production and trading company owned by Lithuanian citizen Valdemārs Vaļķūns, which works with the brands "Valdo" and "Tautas", producer of crab sticks and surimi products SIA "Atlantika International", as well as SIA "Aizkraukles saldumi".
"Amber Latvijas balzams", maker of the famous Stolichnaya vodka, is owned by Yuri Sheffler, a well-known Russian businessman who also has British and Israeli passports. He is on the record as a critic of Russian warmonger Vladimir Putin and the attack on Ukraine.
The list of companies that received food products from Russia also includes a number of retailers, including Russian food supplement dealers SIA "Alankors" and SIA "NL Continent Baltic"; the parent of retail network "Fix Price" in Latvia SIA "FP LV", as well as "Latprodukti" SIA, which runs the "Mere" network.
A number of listed companies are wholesalers. Among others, food and beverage wholesaler SIA "Tabakas nams grupa", SIA "Futurus Food", which works with the brands "Lienīte" and "Zelta saule", SIA "Avento", SIA "Vija SP", imported food products from Russia to Latvia. SIA "Trade IG", SIA "Avi Trade" and others. The list also includes two companies owned by Estonian citizens - beverage wholesaler SIA "Ritaleks" and food wholesaler SIA "Tirgpbalt-X".
The list also includes several companies related to agriculture, for example, SIA "Imlitex Latvija" belonging to the Lithuanian company "Imlitex", which deals with food, chemical industry raw materials, electricity and grain wholesale, SIA "Rīgas kombinas lopbarības rūpnīca", grain wholesaler SIA "MG trade" and SIA "Betamol".
