A woman involved in a scheme to supply sanctioned equipment to Russia has been convicted in the U.S.

A U.S. federal court sentenced Russian citizen Natalia Mazulina to 18 months in prison for participating in a scheme to illegally ship U.S. industrial equipment to Russia in circumvention of sanctions.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendant worked as a regional manager for a freight forwarding company and, from December 2022 to December 2024, helped organize shipments of equipment for the Russian oil and gas industry through third countries. To conceal the ultimate recipient, false information was provided in the export documentation.

In October 2025, Mazulina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate U.S. export controls. In addition to her prison sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of $77,000 she had received from her illegal activities.

The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that the illegal export of equipment helped support strategic sectors of the Russian economy, and the FBI pledged to continue holding accountable those who help circumvent sanctions.

Source: Guild Hall.

As a reminder, at a summit in Brussels on June 18, the European Union decided for the first time to extend sanctions against Russia not for the standard six months, but for a full year. In doing so, the EU is departing from its previous practice of regularly reviewing sanctions every six months.

The EU Council is expected to officially approve the new sanctions package in the coming weeks, according to Deutsche Welle.