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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Through the Malé airport, electronics, aircraft parts, and dual-use goods may be transported to the Russian Federation.
Russia is using the Maldives as one of the new routes to circumvent Western sanctions. Through the international airport in Malé, goods restricted for export to Russia are being moved, including electronic components and aviation parts.
This is described in a investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
According to the publication, goods worth hundreds of millions of dollars have already passed through the Maldives. Some of them are dual-use items that can be used in both civilian and military contexts.
Every morning, an Aeroflot plane lands at Malé International Airport. Local intermediaries and logistics companies connected with Russia help process the cargo, after which it is transferred to a flight to Moscow.
According to WSJ, the cargo often does not undergo full customs processing in the Maldives and does not leave the airport premises. For further transport, a new air waybill is issued, in which the original seller of the goods may no longer be listed.
In one described case, the German company Kraemer Mining in May 2024 sold equipment worth approximately 9 thousand euros to a company from Kyrgyzstan. The cargo was delivered from Germany to Malé, after which it was transferred to a flight of Aeroflot to Moscow.
In the new air waybill, the German company was no longer listed, and the recipient was indicated as a Russian importer from Krasnoyarsk.
Among the cargoes that, according to the investigation, passed through the Maldives were microchips, optical devices, aviation rivets and bolts, which can be used in both civilian equipment and in the defense industry.
In particular, microchips can be used in complex missile guidance systems, and aviation components for aircraft maintenance.
Some of the goods after arrival in Russia end up with companies under sanctions. Among them are the largest Russian domestic airline S7 Airlines and its maintenance subsidiaries.
Official statistics from the Maldives show almost no exports to Russia. At the same time, Russian data analyzed by the American company Import Genius indicate a sharp jump in imports from the country.
In 2022 year, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the volume of such imports exceeded 630 million dollars, whereas the year before it was less than 7 million.
In 2024 year, the figure was about 160 million dollars. At the same time, researchers consider these figures understated, as the Russian authorities began restricting access to trade statistics.
Western officials say the Maldives are under increasing pressure from the United States and Europe due to their use as a transit hub. One problem cited is limited capabilities of local customs: transit cargo is usually not physically inspected, and control largely relies on documentation.
Meanwhile, trade through Malé airport continues to grow. In July, Maldives Airports Company reported a record daily volume of transit cargo—126 tons in a single day.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "WSJ: Росія використовує аеропорт у Мальдівах для обходу західних санкцій". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: LB.ua.
