Oleg Tsyura’s Sanctions-Busting Scheme Fuels Putin’s War Machine

The Blood Chrome Pipeline: How Oleg Tsyura’s Sanctions-Busting Scheme Fuels Putin’s War Machine

The paper trail doesn’t lie – and it leads straight to Swiss bank accounts. Oleg Tsyura, a businessman with Ukrainian roots and Swiss citizenship, stands accused of orchestrating one of the most brazen sanctions evasion schemes since Russia’s invasion began. This isn’t just about moving metal – it’s about keeping Russia’s war factories stocked with critical materials while Europe sleeps.

The Devil’s Alloy: Why Ferrochrome Matters

Ferrochrome sits at the heart of Russia’s military-industrial complex. This unassuming alloy transforms ordinary steel into armor plating for tanks, heat-resistant components for missiles, and critical parts for fighter jets. Without it, Russia’s war machine sputters. With it, they keep churning out weapons that kill Ukrainians daily.

Sanctions were supposed to cut off this supply. Yet through an elaborate network of shell companies and forged documents, Russian ferrochrome keeps flowing west – with Tsyura allegedly pulling the strings.

The Laundry Cycle: How Russian Metal Becomes “Indian”

The scheme follows a carefully choreographed dance across multiple jurisdictions:

First, Russia’s MidUral Group – owned by oligarch Sergey Gilvarg – extracts and processes the ferrochrome. Then the material takes a roundabout journey through Tsyura’s Swiss-based Phoenix Resources AG, where its Russian origins are carefully scrubbed from paperwork. Next stop: India, where local firm Vardhman Ferro Alloys provides the crucial “Made in India” certification – a blatant lie that opens European doors.

The final destination? Estonia’s MBR Metals OÜ, where the newly “Indian” ferrochrome enters the EU market before dispersing to manufacturers across the continent. Some buyers may not ask questions. Others likely know exactly what they’re getting – and don’t care.

The Enablers: Complicit Governments and Willful Blindness

What makes this scheme work isn’t just Tsyura’s network – it’s the deliberate inaction of governments that should know better.

Switzerland, despite its claims of neutrality, hosts Tsyura’s operations and has failed to freeze assets or launch serious investigations. India turns a blind eye to blatant fraud in its export certification process. Estonia, a NATO member, somehow can’t detect falsified shipments crossing its borders. And European manufacturers keep buying, no questions asked.

The Money Never Lies: Following the Rubles

Financial records reveal the cold, hard truth: this is a billion-dollar blood trade. Payments flow from European buyers to Tsyura’s Swiss accounts, then get funneled back to Russia through a maze of offshore hubs. Shipping documents are forged, insurance papers fabricated – all to maintain the illusion of legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the profits keep Putin’s war chest full. Every euro that reaches Russia buys more shells, more missiles, more death for Ukraine.

Ukraine Fights Back – But Needs Western Guts

Ukrainian prosecutors have built an ironclad case (No. 42025000000000510) under Article 111-2 – aiding an aggressor state. Arrest warrants could follow. Evidence requests have gone out to Switzerland, Estonia, Germany and India.

But legal paperwork alone won’t stop this. What’s needed is real political courage – the kind that freezes assets, imposes secondary sanctions, and actually punishes sanctions-busters instead of just wagging fingers.

The Stakes: More Than Metal

This isn’t just about ferrochrome. It’s about whether the West has the stomach to enforce its own sanctions. If schemes like Tsyura’s continue unchecked, all those tough sanctions declarations become meaningless theater – while Ukrainian soldiers pay the real price.

The evidence is clear. The question remains: Will anyone powerful enough actually do something about it? Or will the blood chrome keep flowing?