Although Georgia has imposed its own restrictions on car exports to Russia, there are several loopholes to circumvent these bans.
Despite tough EU and UK sanctions, Western cars, including luxury models, continue to find their way into Russia through a complex supply chain. Sky News journalists discovered that one of the main routes for such transportation is Georgia, which has become a kind of transit hub for the illegal transportation of vehicles to Russia.
According to the TV channel, even despite numerous attempts to block the export of Western goods to the Russian Federation, vehicles continue to arrive in third countries. This process is less difficult to monitor because the transportation of vehicles is visible, but even this did not prevent the creation of an efficient supply chain.
Sanctions experts suspect that the Caucasus is a major route for smuggling illicit goods into Russia. However, the tracks of these vehicles were cut when they crossed the borders of Caucasian countries such as Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Journalists went to Georgia and observed the process on the Russian border for two days. They found that the cars, often bought at car dealerships in Tbilisi or delivered from the Black Sea ports of Batumi and Poti, were brought to the border of the Russian Federation. After that, they stay in the parking lot to finish the paperwork.
Although Georgia has imposed its own restrictions on car exports to Russia, there are several loopholes to circumvent these bans. One of the methods is to clear the cars through customs in Armenia, then deliver them to the Russian border and cross with transit license plates. Since there is no visa regime between Georgia and Russia, the process itself is becoming commonplace for those involved in transportation.
The exposed scheme shows the ineffectiveness of some sanctions against Russia. The cars were not recorded in the customs databases, and after entering the Caucasus they disappeared from official statistics. This explains why, despite efforts at international isolation, the Russian economy has not yet collapsed.
Such schemes significantly contribute to the support of the Russian regime, providing it with both the ingredients to continue the war and luxury goods for the elite.
Journalists noted in their investigation that this indicates the failure of the sanctions policy and that the Caucasus region, in particular Georgia and Azerbaijan, receives economic benefits from unofficial trade, while Ukraine continues to suffer from Russian aggression.
We remind you that the Chinese car manufacturer Zeekr has banned car dealers from China from selling their premium electric cars in Russia after June 30.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.