Main image: A Lojer-Merivaara employee working at the company’s factory in January 2022. Photo: Petri Niemi / Yle
The largest manufacturer of furniture for medical institutions in Northern Europe has continued throughout the war to supply hospital beds and operating tables to Russia, since these products are not subject to EU sanctions or export restrictions, according to Yle.
The Finnish company Lojer-Merivaara (headquartered in Sastamala) supplies equipment to civilian hospitals in the Murmansk, Rostov, Sakhalin, and Karelian regions, as well as to leading medical centers in St. Petersburg.
The company’s CEO, Roberto Quintero, acknowledges that the company is aware of the customers of its distributors.
“The mentioned institutions are not sanctioned, as they are not located in annexed territories and are not controlled by military organizations,” Quintero says.
According to Quintero, the company uses an international compliance firm to manage risks and ensure sanctions compliance.
Against the backdrop of such cases, Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs is preparing a new national regulation set to take effect in July. The ministry intends to tighten rules and suspend preferential export treatment for a wide range of medical and pharmaceutical goods. Elina Rimpiläinen, head of the MFA sanctions department, said the decision is linked to suspicions that such products could potentially be used for military purposes in Russia.
In the future, exports of items such as dental equipment may be fully banned. Rimpiläinen noted that Finland supports strict sanctions and their effective enforcement, but acknowledged legal difficulties, as humanitarian channels for non-military goods will still remain open.
The investigation also identified other companies attempting to maintain trade with Russia. In 2025, three companies applied for export permits. PaloDEx Group received approval to supply dental equipment, while applications from pharmaceutical company Cytomed were rejected, leading to the closure of its plant in Lappeenranta. Pribori Holding from Espoo was granted permission to export neonatal screening devices, arguing that the equipment cannot technically be used for military purposes.
Nevertheless, the situation with Lojer-Merivaara shows that a significant share of medical goods continues to reach Russia without special permits, raising concern among Finnish authorities and prompting plans for new state-level restrictions.
