Media discovered how sanctioned goods enter Russia through Georgia
Sanctioned goods are still being sent to Russia through Georgia (photo: Getty Images)
Shipments of various sanctioned dual-use goods, including drones, computer processors, GPS devices, and memory cards, continue to be sent from Georgia to Russia. These items can be used in the manufacture of weaponry, according to Georgian edition iFact.
The investigation, which lasted seven months, uncovered schemes for supplying sanctioned products to Russia from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, according to the Georgian media.
The export of these products to Russia was banned by international sanctions as of December 2022.
However, as the Georgian publication highlights, not all countries have adhered to these restrictions.
What schemes and methods are used to bypass sanctions
One transporter told Georgian investigators that he had no problem shipping drones from Georgia to Russia via Azerbaijan, as was done previously.
Another transporter suggested an even simpler route for sending chips from Tbilisi to Samara directly through Vladikavkaz.
According to the Georgian media edition, sanctioned cargo from Georgia to Russia follows two main routes: either directly or through the crossing of two or three national borders.
Increase in export of sanctioned goods
Data for 2023-2024 shows that over $10 million worth of dual-use goods were exported from Georgia to Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Central Asian countries.
The edition also notes a significant increase in the export of the following items from Georgia over the past year:
- radio navigation equipment;
- electronic integrated circuits;
- digital signal processing units;
- audio and video transmission equipment;
- household appliances.
Georgia claims strict control
The Georgian Revenue Service stated that customs control was tightened with the onset of the full-scale war by Russia against Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions against Russia.
"They state that from February 24, 2022, to June 27, 2024, they turned back sanctioned goods 1,969 times at customs checkpoints," according to the iFact.
In conversations with journalists, the Georgian Revenue Service assured that the agency adheres to all international norms and sanctions, maintaining strict control at the border.
Experiment
Meanwhile, journalists from the iFact, as part of their practical investigation and experiment, managed to arrange for drones to be sent from Tbilisi, Georgia to Samara, Russia through the transport company Kairos Logistics.
The operator assured the clients that the delivery would be guaranteed and that he had experience handling sanctioned goods.
Additionally, iFact journalists managed to ship integrated circuits to Russia through the company Cargo Rapido.
Sanction evasion by Russia through Georgia
This winter, a US Senator claimed that Georgia is supplying chips to Russia in circumvention of sanctions. Tbilisi has since requested Washington to provide evidence of these claims.
Before this, US Senator Richard Blumenthal had urged American chip manufacturers to avoid having their chips used in Russian weaponry.
It was also reported that in the summer of 2022, Georgian TV channel Mtavari suggested that Georgia might be involved in a scheme to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil.
