Russian media uncovers military intelligence agent in Brussels facilitating defence equipment supply to Russia
Pravda Ukraine
The Russian publication The Insider claims to have found in Brussels an agent of Russian military intelligence (GRU), Viktor Labin, who, together with his family, provides the Russian defence industry with coordinate-measuring machines.
Source: European Pravda
The Insider refers to Viktor Labin as a GRU agent because he previously lived in the dormitory of the Russian Military Intelligence Academy in the Russian Federation. Afterwards, he resided in a building where some apartments were rented by military personnel.
Viktor Labin, along with his sons Roman and Ruslan, owns the Groupe d’Investissement Financier company in Belgium. The Insider says that, through this company, the supply of scarce equipment for the Russian defence industry is carried out, specifically to the Sonatec Moscow-based LLC, owned by Ruslan Labin.
In at least 2022, Sonatec LLC was a contractor for 18 Russian defence companies. The company imports measuring instruments, challenging to substitute in Russia, from different countries, such as Italy (Tomelleri Engineering), Germany (Messtechnik), and the UK (Aberlink).
Journalists also point out that the office of the Labin family’s Brussels firm, Groupe d’Investissement Financier, is located within a 15-minute drive from the headquarters of the European Commission.
Viktor Labin told The Insider that “after the sanctions” and the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, his son’s firm no longer conducts shipments to Moscow.
Ruslan Labin, the Sonatec’s owner, did not deny that his company was a contractor for 18 defence companies and may still be supplying. Roman Labin, who organises pro-Russian actions in Europe, refused to communicate with journalists.
Background:
- Journalists have previously uncovered individuals in Europe associated with Russian intelligence or defence. Last summer, it was revealed that the relatives of Boris Obnosov, Director General of Tactical Missiles Corporation, whose missiles are used to attack Ukraine, continue to reside in Czechia and own real estate worth tens of millions of crowns.
- In August 2023, the Czech Financial Analytical Office seized assets belonging to the family of Boris Obnosov.
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