Documents Examined by BBC Suggest UK Military Technology Sent to Russia Through Firm Linked to Social Media Model

Customs records examined by BBC News suggest that advanced equipment manufactured by a British company, valued at $2.1 million (£1.6 million), was supplied to Russian entities with military affiliations. These documents indicate that the British-produced camera lenses were dispatched by a firm registered in Kyrgyzstan, which appears to be managed by a swimwear model. Beck Optronic Solutions, the UK manufacturer known for its involvement with British Challenger 2 tanks and F35 fighter jets, stated that it had not violated sanctions, maintained no business relationships with Russia or Kyrgyzstan, and was uninformed about these deliveries. This inquiry prompts concerns regarding the efficacy of sanctions implemented against Russia since the commencement of the conflict in Ukraine. The investigation traced back to Valeria Baigascina, a 25-year-old individual originally from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, currently residing in Belarus. As a part-time model, she frequently shares details of her luxurious travel experiences on social media, having visited Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia within the last two years. Her social media presence offered no suggestion that she also served as the director of a company that had facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to sanctioned Russian entities, a fact uncovered through our examination of customs documentation. Belarusian registration records indicate that Ms. Baigascina established and directed a company named Rama Group LLC. Established in February 2023, its registered address is in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, located 2,300 miles (3,713 km) from her residence in Belarus. Both Kyrgyzstan and Belarus are former Soviet republics that maintain significant trade connections with Russia. Belarus continues to be Moscow’s most steadfast ally in Europe. Commercial data reveals that UK exports to Kyrgyzstan have risen by over 300% since sanctions against Russia were implemented in February 2022. Specialists speculate that a portion of these goods may ultimately be intended for Moscow. The customs documentation acquired by the BBC indicates that Rama Group executed two deliveries to Moscow comprising sophisticated optical equipment suitable for use in missiles, tanks, and aircraft. On the customs forms, the equipment is identified as being manufactured by Beck Optronic Solutions, located in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. This company produces high-precision lenses utilized in targeting and surveillance applications. While some of its lenses find application in healthcare and engineering, Beck’s official website outlines numerous military and defense uses for its products. The lenses and optical technology marketed by Beck Optronics are explicitly categorized as items that are either prohibited from legal export to Russia or require authorization from UK authorities prior to any transaction. The BBC has identified, via customs records, a cumulative total of six consignments of products reportedly manufactured by Beck, with an aggregate value of $2.1 million (£1.6 million), which were transported to Moscow through Rama and an additional intermediary firm, Shisan LLC. During December 2023 and January 2024, Rama Group dispatched its two consignments to Moscow, describing them as “rotating part of camera.” These deliveries were directed to Sol Group, a company situated in Smolensk, 200 miles (320 km) south-west of Moscow, which is subject to US sanctions. The precise international transit route of these goods remains unclear; however, the documents suggest that some of the consignments might have initially come from Thailand. Shisan LLC, identified as another company based in Kyrgyzstan, was responsible for an additional four deliveries of Beck Optronics’ products, valued at $1.5 million (£1.1 million). Two of these particular shipments included “short-wave infrared camera lens” and were sent to the Ural Optical & Mechanical Plant, an entity that produces bomb-aiming apparatus and is also under sanctions due to its connections with the Russian military. Rama Group and Shisan operate from the same address in Bishkek—a contemporary five-story building located in an affluent district of the city. Upon our visit, however, we were informed that Valeria Baigascina was abroad on a business journey. We obtained her contact information from her social media activity and presented our accusations to her. Ms. Baigascina stated that she founded the company but had divested it in May. She refuted the claims, asserting that during her ownership, “nothing like that was supplied.” Subsequently, she terminated the call. Subsequently, via email, she communicated that the accusations were “ridiculous” and founded on “false information.” Our investigation indicates that in May of this year, she transferred ownership of Rama Group to her close friend, Angelina Zhurenko, who operates a lingerie enterprise in Kazakhstan. Ms. Zhurenko informed us: “Trading activities are carried out exclusively within the framework of the current legislation of Kyrgyzstan. The company does not violate any prohibitions. Any other information is false.” The director of the other intermediary entity, Shisan, is identified as Evgeniy Anatolyevich Matveev. We conveyed our allegations to him via email. He responded by stating that our information was “false” and that he managed “a business supplying exclusively civilian goods manufactured in Asian countries.” He further elaborated: “This does not contradict the laws of the state in which I work, and has nothing to do with US sanctions, because it is impossible to prohibit free trade in Asian goods available for sale and delivery.” No evidence suggests that Beck Optronics was aware of these consignments or that Russia was the ultimate destination for the lenses. The company informed us that it had no involvement with the shipments: “Beck has not shipped anything contrary to UK export controls or any sanctions applying in the UK. It has had no dealings with any party or company in Russia, Kyrgyzstan or Thailand, was not aware that any shipments might ultimately be destined for any of these destinations and has not shipped anything to these destinations.” It holds the belief that some of the enumerated equipment was not even produced by the company and that the customs documentation might have been fabricated. However, these purported exports form a component of a broader pattern involving deliveries from multiple origins. An examination of customs records by C4ADS, a security think tank based in Washington, indicates that Shisan executed 373 shipments through Kyrgyzstan to Russia from July to December 2023. Among these, 288 consignments contained items classified under customs codes for “high-priority battlefield items.” During the identical six-month timeframe, Rama Group finalized a total of 1,756 shipments to Russia. Of these, 1,355 were for articles appearing on the “high-priority battlefield items” list. Its most recent deliveries, which included electronic components from US and UK firms, were directed to a Russian company called Titan-Mikro, an entity that has been under US sanctions since May 2023 due to its involvement in Russia’s military sector. Olena Tregub of NAKO, Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption organization, states: “When they sell this technology to a client who is potentially a Russian end-user, they fully should understand that this is to kill people.” She cautions that deficiencies in the sanctions framework are resulting in loss of life. She asserts: “Without those technologies, those weapons would not fly. The brain of those ballistic missiles, the brain of those kamikaze drones, are made of Western technology.” Global authorities are cognizant of Kyrgyzstan’s involvement in the circumvention of sanctions. In April, David Cameron, then the UK’s foreign secretary, visited Bishkek and pressed Kyrgyz authorities to enhance their adherence to sanctions. The Kyrgyz president conveyed his assurance that Lord Cameron’s official trip to