According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Russian imports from the Maldives experienced a dramatic surge from less than $7 million in 2021 to over $630 million in 2022. Russian trade data collected by research firm Import Genius showed a sharp rise in imports from the island nation after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trade remained substantial at $160 million in 2024, though the figures may not fully reflect the scale of trade as access to parts of Russia's trade data was later restricted. The Maldives, despite having virtually no industrial base, represents a significant increase in trade volume through this unexpected transit route. The route through the Maldives is smaller in scale than the main supply channels through China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, which account for around $15 billion worth of sanctioned goods entering Russia each year.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, local logistics firms in the Maldives are allegedly altering shipping documents and transferring cargo directly onto Aeroflot flights to Moscow without the goods formally entering the Maldives. Documents reviewed by the Journal, including air waybills, cargo manifests and correspondence between logistics companies, suggest that goods arriving in the Maldives are transferred onto flights bound for Moscow. Some shipments reportedly remain in transit and undergo only limited customs checks before being transferred between aircraft. Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot operates regular flights between Malé and Moscow, creating a direct air route that has reportedly been used to transport cargo. The Maldives' Velana International Airport in Malé has become a key transit point for restricted goods, with local intermediaries working with Russia-linked logistics companies to facilitate the movement of cargo. Every morning, commercial flights operated by Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, arrive in Malé, with the goods then loaded onto Aeroflot aircraft and delivered to Moscow in approximately two hours.
According to the Wall Street Journal investigation, shipments from the US, Europe and China have passed through Velana International Airport before being sent to Moscow, often aboard Aeroflot flights. The goods identified include dual-use microchips that can be used in missile guidance systems, optical instruments for satellites, and high-strength aerospace fasteners suitable for civilian aircraft, fighter jets and long-range rockets. Some of these products have both civilian and military applications, with electronic components, aircraft parts and other restricted goods being routed through the airport before being sent onwards to Russia. In one documented case, equipment sold by German company Kraemer Mining to a buyer in Kyrgyzstan was shipped through Malé and later placed on an Aeroflot flight to Moscow, with new shipping documents identifying a Russian importer as the recipient and removing references to the original German supplier. Certain shipments are intended for Russian companies listed on sanctions registers, with recipients reportedly including the airline S7 Airlines and its maintenance businesses, which have difficulty purchasing spare parts for aircraft that have been in service for a long time due to Western sanctions.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Maldives is now facing increasing pressure from the US and European countries to address the alleged sanctions-evasion route, according to Western officials. Authorities in the Maldives are aware of the concerns, while limited customs resources and minimal physical inspections of transit cargo have created potential gaps in oversight. In July, Maldives Airports Company reported that Velana International Airport handled a record 126 tons of freight in a single day, with Aeroflot accounting for 12% of outbound cargo in the first half of 2026. The Maldivian government and the company that operates Velana International Airport did not comment on the operation of this channel. Pavlo Shkurenko, a sanctions research fellow at the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, told the Journal that "this shows there are effective channels that exist far outside of the usual suspects." The report underlines the challenge facing Western governments as they attempt to prevent restricted goods from reaching Russia through third countries, highlighting how smaller and less expected transit hubs can become part of Moscow's wider supply network.
According to the Wall Street Journal investigation, Russia has spent an additional approximately $130 billion between 2022 and 2025 to circumvent sanctions and purchase prohibited Western goods. The UK has doubled the maximum fine for sanctions violations and issued a warning about the Kremlin-backed A7 network allegedly helping Russia evade restrictions. Canadian intelligence successfully stopped multiple attempts to illegally export sanctioned goods to Russia, preventing their use in military efforts. China added 10 US entities to its export control list and barred Chinese buyers from 46 US firms, escalating trade retaliation and risking disruptions to critical materials and tech supply chains. These developments demonstrate how extensive Russia's system for circumventing Western restrictions has become, with even small countries and their transport infrastructure being used to move prohibited goods.
