Despite sanctions, Russia still gets hands on Western goods

Businesses evade sanctions to supply Russia with banned goods, despite Western efforts to curb illicit trade.

A Kansas businessman shipped banned avionics equipment to Russia through Armenia, the UAE and other third countries. A French firm falsified documents to help unscrupulous European exporters circumvent sanctions.

Despite more than two years of Western punitive measures, Russia is still getting its hands on prohibited goods, with the help of cunning businesses that go to great lengths to dodge the embargo.

Last week, the United States unveiled fresh sanctions against 300 targets in and outside Russia.

“(These) actions strike at their remaining avenues for international materials and equipment, including their reliance on critical supplies from third countries,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. It may still not be enough.

“Unfortunately, when people want to commit fraud, it might take some time but they succeed,” Claire Lavarde, a lawyer at international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, told AFP.

Russia was hit with a first wave of sanctions following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The West tightened the screws after Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022.

But Russia’s economy has withstood the shock, growing 5.4% in the first quarter of this year as its trade relations with Asia and the Middle East soared.