Finland to Restrict Medical Exports to Russia Over Possible Military Use

Finland will tighten restrictions on the export of medical and pharmaceutical goods to Russia after determining that some products risk being diverted to military use, Yle reported on May 12.

The Foreign Ministry is preparing a national regulation that would suspend the issuance of exemption permits for medical and pharmaceutical exports to Russia. The measure is expected to take effect in July. It will cover items already under EU sanctions but currently shipped to Russian buyers under case-by-case waivers.

Three Finnish companies sought such exemption permits in 2025. Dental equipment maker PaloDEx Group, part of the US-based Envista chain, secured approval. Lappeenranta-based pharmaceutical firm Cytomed had all four applications rejected before ceasing operations. Espoo-based Pribori Holding received three permits for products used in fetal and newborn screening.

Elina Rimppi, head of the ministry's sanctions unit, told Yle that the decision reflects concerns that "medical and pharmaceutical products may end up being used in Russia for military purposes." She declined to elaborate on the underlying intelligence, noting only that the ministry regularly reviews sanctions enforcement.

The regulation will not affect hospital beds, operating tables, or examination tables, which fall outside the scope of EU sanctions.

Sastamala-based Lojer-Merivaara, the Nordic region's largest manufacturer of hospital and care furniture, has continued exporting such equipment to Russia throughout the full-scale war.

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Yle identified deliveries to civilian hospitals across the Murmansk, Sakhalin, Chuvashia, Rostov, and Karelia regions, as well as to the Russian Health Ministry's Traumatology and Orthopedics Research Center in St. Petersburg.

Quintero noted that patient privacy prevents the company from identifying who is treated on its equipment, and argued that withholding medical supplies on the basis of war would violate humanitarian principles. The Yle review found that, on average, only five to ten exemption applications reach the Foreign Ministry each year.

The Finnish move sits within a broader EU push to close routes through which sanctioned and dual-use goods continue to reach Russia, including via third countries.

The European Commission had previously proposed anti-circumvention measures targeting Kyrgyzstan following a review of trade flows cited by the Financial Times.

The proposed restrictions would limit sales of certain dual-use goods, including electronics and machine tools, amid concern they could be redirected to Russia.

EU trade data showed Kyrgyz imports of high-priority goods from the bloc rose nearly 800% since 2022, while Kyrgyz exports to Russia increased by 1,200%. Brussels identified the pattern as a risk that sanctioned goods may reach Russia via intermediary routes.

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