The Maldives would have become a transit route for hundreds of millions of dollars in Western products subject to restrictions, destined for Russia, according to an investigation published by The Wall Street Journal. The goods would be transported through the airport in Malé and then shipped by plane to Moscow, offering a new way to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“This shows that there are efficient channels far beyond the usual suspects,” said Pavlo Șkurenko, a sanctions researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, referring to the route identified in the investigation.
How would the Malé-Moscow route work
According to The Wall Street Journal, goods initially depart from suppliers in the United States, Europe, or China. In documents, these are often presented as being sold to buyers in third countries.
The products are then transported by commercial flights to Malé, where they remain in the airport’s transit area, without being officially imported into the Maldives.
Local companies, among which Freight Care and Go Investment, would contribute to the organization of goods transfer through Velana International Airport. Transport documents and statements from Western officials, quoted by the American publication, indicate that the companies would handle documentation and the transfer of cargo between aircraft arriving in Malé and Aeroflot company planes destined for Moscow.
Once arrived in Malé, the goods would receive a new transport document for the flight to Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow.
The new document would no longer identify the initial exporter, but would indicate a Russian importer as the recipient. In this way, the products remain in transit and are not officially registered as imports in the Maldives, while customs checks are limited.
Hussain Waheed, the general director of Freight Care, confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that his company has managed goods in transit through Malé to Russia. However, he denied that the company would have known that some of the products could be used in the manufacture of weapons.
“We do not support any war”, declared Waheed.
In the case of Go Investment company, the officially registered address would lead to a small electronics store where several firms would have been registered at the same address. The person indicated in the commercial register as the general manager or board member did not respond to the request for comments, according to the publication.
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