Belgium arrests Russian national suspected of espionage over sanctions violations

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) – A Russian national suspected of acting as an agent for Russian military intelligence and facilitating the transfer of military‑grade equipment in violation of sanctions has been placed in pretrial detention in Brussels, Belgian prosecutors confirmed on Monday.

Viktor Labin, officially registered as a businessman residing in Brussels’ Uccle district, was arrested following a police raid on his home last June, a prosecutor's spokesperson told news agency Belga.

According to media reports, investigators suspect that Labin and his two sons used his now‑defunct company to supply coordinate-measuring machines and related services to a network of Russian defense firms, circumventing EU sanctions on exports of strategic equipment.

Online investigative outlet The Insider and other media said records show Labin once lived at an address linked to a GRU military intelligence academy in Moscow before relocating to Belgium, where he established his business presence in the late 1990s.

Labin's first court hearing on the charges is expected to be held on Thursday in a Brussels court, where a judge will review the evidence and determine further legal proceedings.

Belgian authorities have not publicly detailed the full scope of the charges, but the case highlights ongoing concerns among EU member states about the enforcement of sanctions and use of commercial front companies to evade export controls and support foreign defense industries.