Poland sanctions chemical trader linked to €1.64 billion in Russian supply contracts
Poland has imposed asset freezing sanctions on chemical trading company WREX over alleged links to a previously sanctioned business and a Russian chemical producer accused of supporting Moscow's war in Ukraine.
WARSAW, Nov. 2, 2026 — Poland's Ministry of the Interior and Administration has added WREX sp. z o.o. to its national sanctions list following an investigation by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) into the company's connections with Russian chemical producer JSC Shchekinoazot and previously sanctioned Polish company Nitro Chemical.
The decision imposes a full freeze on WREX's funds and economic resources, prohibits making funds or economic resources available to the company directly or indirectly, and excludes it from public procurement procedures. The measures were adopted under Poland's April 2022 legislation aimed at countering support for Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
According to the ministry, WREX was established on June 14, 2023, shortly after Nitro Chemical was sanctioned in May that year. Polish authorities allege that WREX continued trading chemical products originating from Russia, activities previously conducted by Nitro Chemical before its designation.
WREX is 90% owned by Piotr Wilman, who serves as its president and ultimate beneficial owner. Wilman has also served as a commercial proxy and sales director of Nitro Chemical since 2020. The latter company, together with its Russian majority owner Oleg Fedorchenko and shareholder Vera Kulichkova, was sanctioned in May 2023 over connections to JSC Shchekinoazot.
The ministry disclosed that Wilman, acting on behalf of Nitro Chemical, had signed two methanol supply contracts with JSC Shchekinoazot worth a combined €1.64 billion. The first agreement, valued at €945 million, was signed on Oct. 27, 2021, while the second, worth approximately €699 million, was signed on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Polish authorities identified JSC Shchekinoazot as a strategically important Russian chemical producer whose products, particularly methanol, have military applications. According to the decision, methanol produced by the company can be used in rocket fuel, aviation fuel additives, military electronics and the manufacture of explosives. The Russian company has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since January 2023.
The ministry argued that continued trade with the Russian chemical producer generates revenue that could support Russia's military operations. It also cited previous Polish court judgments rejecting challenges brought by Nitro Chemical and its shareholders against their sanctions designations.
The latest decision extends Poland's national sanctions measures to another company allegedly connected to the same commercial network. WREX is registered in Hornówek, near Warsaw, under company registration number KRS 0001041739.
The designation reflects Poland's continued use of national sanctions powers to target domestic businesses accused of maintaining commercial relationships that benefit Russia's economy and war effort, including companies not necessarily subject to separate EU-wide asset freezing designations.
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