€60,000 in cash: how Latvia found out a programmer who worked for a Russian company

A Latvian resident spent three years programming for a Russian company and received more than €60,000 on an Alfa Bank card. Now he faces criminal prosecution for violating EU sanctions against Russia. Oninvest found out how the Latvian State Security Service managed to find the programmer.

On February 2, the Latvian State Security Service (VDD) asked the prosecutor's office to initiate criminal proceedings against an IT specialist for violating EU sanctions against Russia. VDD told Oninvest that the Latvian resident worked remotely for a company registered in Russia. VDD refused to specify what the company does. According to the restrictions established by the EU, the mere fact of programming for a Russian company, even if it is not under sanctions, is already a violation.

There has been no exchange of financial information between Russia and Latvia officially since October 2025, and de facto since Ma 2023. But as the Latvian security service told Oninvest, they know that the suspect withdrew money during his arrival in Russia and transferred it to Latvia in cash. The sources of information in the agency refused to disclose, "as it may affect the investigation of other cases." The VDD also did not disclose the identity of the suspect, specifying that the case was transferred to the Latvian prosecutor's office for further investigation.

As of March 2022, you cannot take more than $10,000 in cash per person out of Russia at one time.

Over the previous three years, the Latvian State Security Service initiated 14 criminal cases for providing services to Russian companies in violation of EU sanctions. And 10 of them - in 2025. The defendants are both Russian citizens with residence permits in Latvia and nationals of the country. According to the VDD report, most of the suspects held senior positions in Russian companies - the list includes the CEO, advisor to the CEO, CFO and chief economist. Several people provided IT services to companies from Russia.

For example, last year a Latvian citizen pleaded guilty to violating EU sanctions because he worked remotely as a leading software engineer in a Russian company, the report said. The company, according to VDD, was engaged in software development for IT systems, providing services to both Russian government agencies and private firms. The man signed a contract for remote work in 2023, the agreement provided for the development and maintenance of software solutions, as well as the organization of the adaptation process for new employees. In December 2024, the Latvian Security Service referred the case to the prosecutor's office. The man pleaded guilty and entered into an agreement with the prosecutor, paying a fine of €9620. In addition, by court order, funds from the defendant's accounts were confiscated in favor of the state - a total of €36,787.

The European Commission has confirmed to Oninvest that due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EU residents are not allowed to provide a number of services to companies registered in Russia. It does not matter what the company does or whether it is on the sanctions lists. Under the ban programming - including customer service, development and design of web pages, web page hosting, implementation of hardware and software and maintenance and repair of computers, IT-consulting, project management, as well as advertising, PR, conducting market research and opinion polls and consulting on business and management issues. At the same time, the European Commission notes that compliance with the sanctions and control over their implementation is the responsibility of the EU member states. Each country determines the punishment for violating the sanctions on its own; in Latvia, for example, it can be punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor