
The News
Kyrgyzstan and China appear to be among several countries that are acting as conduits for smuggling goods into Russia to circumvent Western sanctions.
Georgia’s export data shows large numbers of cars sold to Kyrgyzstan, but Kyrgyzstan’s import numbers don’t match, OilPrice.com noted. Similarly, Italy has seen exports to Kyrgyzstan surge since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with one analyst saying the goods are “obviously getting shipped to Moscow.”
Sanctions have severely impaired Russians’ ability to buy foreign goods, but enterprising smugglers find ways around them: Japan’s piano exports to China are up 300% despite Chinese demand falling, likely because the pianos are being moved on to Russia, the South China Morning Post reported.
