It is reported that a number of European and American diplomats visited the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for several months, but the negotiations did not bring results. In this regard, the Biden administration is preparing new economic measures to put pressure on the country to stop trade with the Russian Federation.
Sanctions or blacklisting of companies accused of violations could be imposed as early as this week, US officials said.
“Kyrgyzstan, although small compared to other countries, is a prime example of all factors working together to create an environment conducive to avoiding sanctions,” said one of the interlocutors.
Publicly available trade documents show the extent of the Kyrgyz shadow market. Records show that Kyrgyzstan’s total exports to Russia skyrocketed in 2022, up 250% from the previous year, before the invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, there were no exports from Kyrgyzstan to Russia of some goods, such as rifle scopes, before.
The trade documents also show a high level of coordination with Moscow in the area of procurement. Records show that in February and March, Kyrgyz companies bought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of sensitive electronics – including specialized semiconductors and voltage amplifiers – from Chinese and South Korean companies.
Almost the same amount of the same types of electronics was exported from Kyrgyzstan to Russia during the same period, documents show.
The Russian firms receiving the goods were, in most cases, well-known suppliers to the Russian defense industry, a senior US official said.
The apparent coordination of transactions with third parties was seen as the work of Russian intelligence agencies, which US officials say are now directly involved in schemes to circumvent economic sanctions.
Sanctions against Russia
The 11th package of EU sanctions against Russia came into force on 23 June. According to EU diplomat Josep Borrell, the European Council approved the 11th package of economic and individual restrictive measures aimed at strengthening existing EU sanctions and stopping their circumvention.
In early July, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the EU to begin work on the 12th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Including against Rosatom.
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2023-07-19 09:38:35
