In the Netherlands, the investigation service of the Netherlands Ministry of Finance (Fiscal Information and Investigation Service – FIOD) arrested two suspects for violating sanctions laws. A 57–year-old man from Amsterdam and a 39–year-old man from The Hague were arrested on suspicion of violating the Sanctions Act.
Searches took place at three commercial premises in Enschede and Almere, as well as at two data centers in Dronten and Schiphol–Rijk. Documents, laptops, phones and more than 800 servers were seized.
The criminal investigation focused on a hosting company founded on February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On May 20, 2025, this company was added to the sanctions list of the European Union.
Judging by the date, Judging by the date, this is the British company Stark Industries. According to FIOD, around the same time, a significant part of the sanctioned company‘s technical infrastructure was transferred to a newly established Dutch company. The FIOD investigation revealed that this new company actually functions as a front for sanctioned organizations. The 57–year-old suspect is the director and sole shareholder of this company.
According to the investigation team, “the web hosting company supported the actions of the Russian Federation that undermine democracy and security, including by manipulating information and disrupting government and economic systems.“
