Despite the sanctions, Russia imported about €100 million worth of “sensitive goods” and technology from the EU in the first nine months of 2023.

Source: Bloomberg, citing its anonymous sources

Details: One European official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that EU countries are still not doing enough to stop Russia from obtaining technologies subject to export restrictions to use in weapons for its war against Ukraine.

Almost a quarter of the €450 million of so-called “high priority items” that Russia received from the EU in the first nine months of 2023 were sent directly from EU countries.

Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and China were among the countries involved in the trade that circumvented EU sanctions, as well as Russia’s neighbours, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. While data show that the EU’s direct official trade with Russia in “sensitive goods” has fallen since the full-scale war began, exports of these goods from the bloc to third countries have risen sharply.

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