Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union and other countries imposed extensive sanctions on Russia with the aim of weakening the Russian economy and compelling Moscow to halt its military aggression, reports Aktuality.
The Ján Kuciak Investigative Center (ICJK) points out that after the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine, exports from Slovakia to countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have increased multiple times.
According to experts, this may indicate a circumvention of sanctions, with goods flowing to Russia through these countries.
ICJK analyzed data from the Statistical Office on exports and found that Slovakia nearly doubled its exports to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey in 2023. Exports to these countries rose from one billion euros before the war to 1.89 billion euros in 2023.
Exports to Russia have dropped nearly as much, from 1.3 billion euros in 2021 to 349 million euros in 2023.
The ICJK’s financial report confirmed an increased export of strategic goods to Russia's allied countries. However, they noted that the export of sensitive goods to Turkey and Central Asian countries is not prohibited.
