Maldives Used as Route for Russian Sanctions Evasion

As the EU tightens its sanctions grip on Moscow and its entities, the Maldives has emerged as an unexpected transit hub for goods headed to Russia.According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published on Tuesday, Sept. 1, documents, cargo records and interviews with anonymous Western officials indicate that Russia-linked logistics networks have used the Indian Ocean archipelago to move hundreds of millions of dollars in restricted goods.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Local intermediaries reportedly help transfer cargo arriving from the US, Europe and China onto daily Aeroflot flights from Malé, the country’s capital, to Moscow.“This shows there are effective channels that exist far outside of the usual suspects,” Pavlo Shkurenko, a sanctions researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics Institute said, referring to the route identified in the investigation.How the route from Malé to Moscow worksThe reported shipments begin with goods leaving suppliers in the US, Europe or China, often listed as being sold to buyers in third countries.From there, they are transported by commercial flights to Malé, where the cargo remains in the airport transit area rather than being formally imported into the Maldives.The WSJ reported that local companies, including Freight Care and Go Investment, help arrange the transfer of cargo through Velana International Airport.According to shipping documents and Western officials cited by the newspaper, the companies assist with paperwork, coordinate movement and help ensure the goods are transferred between incoming aircraft and Aeroflot flights bound for Moscow. Other Topics of Interest Russian Strike on Dnipro Kills 2, Injures 8, Damages Homes and Schools A Russian attack hit food warehouses and residential areas in Dnipro, sparking fires and leaving three of the injured in critical condition. Once the cargo reaches Malé, a new air waybill is reportedly issued for the flight to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.The second document does not identify the original exporter and instead lists a Russian importer as the recipient. This process allows the goods to stay in transit, undergo minimal customs checks and avoid being recorded as imports into the Maldives.According to the WSJ, Freight Care’s managing director, Hussain Waheed, confirmed that the company handled goods transiting through Malé to Russia but denied knowingly helping transport items that could be used to make weapons. “We do not support any war,” Waheed said.An address listed for Go Invested reportedly led to a small electronics shop that was also registered to several other businesses. The WSJ reported that the man identified in the registry as managing director or board member declined the request for comment.Restricted goods sent to RussiaThe shipments reportedly sent to Russia include microchips, optical instruments, high-strength aerospace bolts and rivets, as well as aircraft components.Though these products may be used for civilian purposes, they largely have military applications.In one example cited by the WSJ, equipment sold by a German company to a buyer from Kyrgyzstan was sent from Düsseldorf to Malé in May 2024. The goods were later placed on an Aeroflot flight to Moscow, with the second shipping document listing a Russian importer and omitting the original German supplier.The reported trade flow is still modest compared with the estimated $15 billion in annual restricted Russian imports passing through larger channels, including China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Import data collected by the US-based research company Import Genius showed that Russian imports from the Maldives rose from less than $7 million in 2021 to more than $630 million in 2022 – the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.According to the company’s research director William George, the figures probably understate the true volume of trade between Russia and the Maldives, as Russian authorities began censoring parts of the data in 2024.The last known figure stood at $160 million in 2024. Russian authorities blocked access to the import data entirely in early 2025, the WSJ reported.Tourism and trade linksBesides tourism, the Maldives has virtually no industry. Most of the country’s revenue comes from visitors, with the government now also making money from a surge in trade.The country’s economic reliance on tourism has reportedly made relations with Moscow significantly more important, particularly because Russian nationals are the second largest group of foreign visitors to the islands after Chinese nationals.Citing Western officials, the WSJ reported that the US and the EU countries have increased pressure on Maldivian authorities to close the route.The Maldivian government and Maldives Airports Company did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.Lavrov’s connection to the MaldivesRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has an unusual, but long-standing personal link to the region.While studying international relations at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), he learned Dhivehi – the official language of the Maldives – as well as Sinhalese, English and French.In an article published Monday, Aug. 31, on the website of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, Lavrov said NATO’s Arctic Sentry activity near Russia’s northern borders posed a “direct threat” to Russian security and could lead to “potentially disastrous consequences.”“This deliberate and targeted effort to foster an atmosphere of mistrust in the military domain is taking place alongside Western attempts to undermine Russia’s legitimate rights,” Lavrov said, referring to what he called “illegitimate financial and economic sanctions on legal entities and individuals.”Meanwhile, as of Aug. 30, the EU is drafting an expanded sanctions package against Russia that could target up to 1,600 individuals and legal entities.Lavrov presented the Arctic as a future trade and resource corridor for Russia and its non-Western partners, including China and India, underscoring Moscow’s efforts to develop alternative commercial routes and reduce the effect of Western sanctions.