Russia receives 450 mln euros worth of goods from EU last year, says Bloomberg

In the first nine months of 2023, the value of sub-sanctioned technologies received by Russia from the European Union, which can be used in warfare, amounted to 450 mln euros. Almost a quarter of the goods came directly from European countries, Azernews reports, citing Bloomberg.

The publication does not specify what exactly refers to the sub-sanctioned goods, which it calls "high-priority".

After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the publication indicates, citing trade data, that the volume of trade in these goods between the European Union and Russia has declined. However, at the same time, exports of the same goods from European countries to third countries have increased sharply. Through them, Russia received those goods that did not come directly from Europe.

Among the countries involved in the supplies that bypassed sanctions, the publication names Turkiye, the UAE, Serbia, and China, as well as Russia's neighbours Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

In addition, according to one of the newspaper's interlocutors, trade data shows that some of the sub-sanctioned goods were produced by subsidiaries and subcontractors of some European companies operating abroad. They then exported them to Russia, also through third countries.

The Kyiv School of Economics calculated that from January through October 2023, Russia imported "combat goods" worth $8.77 bln. The list of these goods is similar to the European Union's "high-priority" goods.

Representatives of the European Commission did not respond to the publication's request for comment.