Turkiye faces scrutiny as exports to Russia surge, fuelling concerns of sanctions evasion

An aerial view of the container ship, named Joseph Schulte, which set sail from Ukraine’s Odesa port earlier this week, reaches the Istanbul Strait in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 18, 2023. [Osman Bakır – Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye’s significant increase in exports of critical goods to Russia sparks fears of sanctions evasion with NATO, Euronews reports.

According to the report, Turkish exports of essential goods to Russia, crucial for Moscow’s military production, have experienced a significant spike in 2023.

This surge has intensified worries about potential sanctions circumvention, with the United States and the European Union actively seeking to curb Russia’s access to dual-use goods through third-party nations.

Turkiye recorded a staggering €144 million ($160 million) in exports of 45 goods, including microchips marked as “high priority” by the US, to Russia and five “former Soviet countries” suspected of acting as intermediaries for Moscow during the first nine months of 2023.

The report added that this figure is three times higher than the same period in the previous year, surpassing the average of €26 million ($28 million) recorded from 2015 to 2021.

Read: ‘The grain deals are fruitless’ Russia’s Ambassador to Turkiye says

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