European exports to Russia have boomed again.

According to RT on May 1st, the German newspaper Die Zeit reported that sanctions against Russia are considered one of the main measures to pressure Moscow, but customs statistics show that, despite the Ukraine conflict, "European exports to Russia are recovering strongly." "The flow of goods has not dried up but is arriving in Russia through other means, especially through smaller neighboring countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, or the larger neighbor Kazakhstan," Die Zeit stated.

EU customs statistics show that "trade flows are almost undisguised between Russia on one side and the major industrialized countries of the West on the other." Thus, trade between the EU and Armenia increased by 260% to $2 billion between 2021 and 2023, between the EU and Kyrgyzstan increased by nearly 1,000%, from $0.3 billion to $2.9 billion, and supplies to Kazakhstan doubled to $13 billion.

According to Die Zeit, all of this was known to European politicians and officials. A special envoy on sanctions – Davide O'Sullivan – was sent from Brussels to Central Asia, but "exports have been increasing ever since."

Die Zeit cites the example that Germany's trade with Kyrgyzstan increased by 1,500% from 2021 to 2023, from $45 million to $772 million. While the largest trade items are not military goods, such as furniture, household appliances, and automobiles, there are also components like engines and electrical equipment, semiconductors, and transistors – components of great importance to the Russian defense industry.

According to Die Zeit, Western companies themselves deny these accusations or explain that they cannot track the resale of their goods. Attempts to pressure third countries to resell goods to Russia have also been ineffective. Most of them said they are taking European demands into account, but stressed that they are not ready to sever trade relations with Russia.