German businessman Juri Sudheimer has transferred his entire stake in Lithuanian lubricant manufacturer SCT Lubricants to Ukrainian citizen Viktoria Suleimanova, a resident of the UAE. Lithuanian outlet Atvira Klaipėda reported the move, citing documents from the Lithuanian Register Center. In July, The Insider and its investigative partner Siena found that Sudheimer’s companies had been supplying lubricating oils to Russia after the start of the full-scale war, including oils used by enterprises affiliated with Russia’s defense industry.
According to Atvira Klaipėda, Sudheimer transferred all shares in SCT Lubricants to Suleimanova at least a week ago. He had been the company’s sole shareholder since September 2022 (and also in the period from 2013 to 2015). The company employs 167 people and operates a plant in Klaipėda that produces oils under the Mannol brand. In 2025, SCT Lubricants posted revenue of €205 million and net profit of €41.9 million.
Suleimanova was already linked to the SCT brand before her acquisition of the Lithuanian plant, The Insider has found. According to the official bulletin of Spain’s Commercial Registry, she was appointed sole administrator of SCT Lubricants Iberica SL in July 2021, succeeding Roman Pasemko Polovych in the post.
This past July, The Insider and Siena established that SCT Lubricants had directly supplied lubricating oils produced in Klaipėda to Russia up until January 2023. The recipient was the Kirov-based company JSC NLK, whose beneficiary was none other than Sudheimer himself.
Moreover, products from companies linked to Sudheimer continued arriving in Russia via the UAE and other countries. According to customs data, in 2024 more than 1,000 metric tons of oils made by SCT Chemicals FZE were imported into Russia from the UAE, and another 550 tons followed in the first quarter of 2025. In addition, hundreds of tons of SCT products were supplied by Dubai-based Chempioil FZE, which is also linked to Sudheimer.
In April 2026, SCT Chemicals FZE was placed under EU sanctions. The EU stated that the company’s specialized lubricants are being used by the Kolomna Plant near Moscow, an enterprise that supplies the Russian Defense Ministry with diesel engines for the Navy and has been under EU sanctions since December 2023.
Juri Sudheimer previously confirmed to The Insider and Siena his connection to SCT Chemicals FZE and Chempioil FZE, but he denied violating Lithuanian and EU law. He claimed that after the relevant ban was introduced, his companies did not ship Lithuanian products to Russia, and he stated his intention to challenge the sanctions that had been levied against SCT Chemicals FZE.
