LEGO sets are reportedly still finding their way into Russia despite the LEGO Group’s withdrawal from the country in 2022.
The LEGO Group announced it was ‘indefinitely [ceasing] commercial operations in Russia’ in July 2022 as a result of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, terminating its partnership with retail giant IRG and closing all 81 of its LEGO Stores in Russia. However, the Kyiv Independent reports (via Czech publication Page Not Found) that LEGO products are still being sold in Russia thanks to European intermediary companies.
These sets are apparently being sourced from the LEGO Group’s Czech factory without its consent – a problem the company was aware of back in 2022, after Russia legalised importing goods (including LEGO sets) without approval from their copyright owner. At the time, the LEGO Group said it ‘does not support or facilitate sales of LEGO products into Russia or Belarus’ and took ‘steps to increase visibility and control over any potential resale activity by our retail partners’.
According to Page Not Found (PNF), private trading companies such as HTS Europe BV – which is owned by Dutch Moscow resident Weynand Gerins – have nevertheless been importing LEGO sets into Russia as recently as February 2025. Customs records obtained by PNF suggest much of the LEGO imported into the country is branded ‘LEGO Production Kladno’, referring to the location of the Czech factory.
While there are no LEGO Stores operating in Russia, IRG has established dozens of ‘World of Cubes’ stores across the country, which mimic official brand stores and sell LEGO. Other Western companies have also been replaced by similar brands in Russia, such as McDonald’s – now known as ‘Tasty and that’s it’ – and Starbucks, which is apparently now branded ‘Stars Coffee’.
We’ve reached out to the LEGO Group for comment, so keep an eye on Brick Fanatics for updates to this ongoing story.
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