The Maldives is reportedly being used as a transit route for Western goods that end up in Russia, as part of efforts to evade sanctions. A Wall Street Journal report says cargo is transferred through Malé airport and then flown to Moscow, with restricted items moving along another channel linked to the sanctions regime imposed over Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Other coverage highlights the scale of the alleged trade shift. NDTV reports that imports from the Maldives linked to Russian buyers rise sharply, citing figures that go from under $7 million in 2021 to more than $630 million in 2022. The reporting notes that the Maldives has little industrial capacity, suggesting much of the activity relates to re-export or transit rather than domestic production. While the outlets both attribute key claims to the Wall Street Journal, they emphasize different aspects of the same allegation: one focuses on the logistics route through Malé, and the other on the jump in import values tied to Russia.
