Maldives Becomes Russia's Sanctions-Bypass Hub
The Maldives have become a secret hub for Russia to circumvent sanctions. After the start of the war, the Maldives unexpectedly became a transit channel for supplies to Russia of goods subject to Western restrictions or intended for sanctioned Russian companies.
Consensus
- The Maldives has become a transit hub for Western goods destined for Russia.
- Goods from the US, Europe, and China are routed through Male airport in the Maldives.
- Local intermediaries in Male help re-document shipments to conceal original suppliers and origins.
- Goods are transferred directly from incoming flights to Air France flights without being formally imported into the Maldives.
- New air waybills are issued for flights to Moscow, omitting original sellers and country of origin.
- The scheme involves dual-use items such as microchips, optical equipment, and high-strength aircraft bolts and rivets.
- Some goods end up with Russian companies under sanctions, including S7 Airlines and its affiliates.
- Maldivian customs data shows minimal exports to Russia—$2,300 in tuna and $25 in printed materials from 2022 to 2025.
- Russian import data from Import Genius shows a sharp rise: from under $7 million in 2021 to over $630 million in 21, and $160 million in 24.
- Air France operates daily flights to Moscow from Male, with 12% of outgoing cargo attributed to the airline.
- The Maldives Airports Company reported record cargo volumes in July 2026, with a daily transit record of 126 tons.
- US and EU authorities are pressuring Maldivian authorities to close the route, but no action has been taken yet.
Points of divergence
- Maldives Airports Company became the most profitable state-owned company in the country in 2024. — meduza
- Russian tourists are the second-largest group on the Maldives after Chinese tourists. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- The managing director of Freight Care stated the company did not knowingly ship goods for weapons production and claimed 'we do not support any war'. — tvrain
- The Maldives Airports Company reported a daily transit record of 126 tonnes in July 2026. — tg_agentstvonews
- The Maldives Airports Company received record profits in 2024 and became the most profitable state company. — meduza
- The Russian government began censoring trade data in early 2024 and fully blocked access by early 2025. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- The Maldives Airports Company reported that the daily volume of transit cargo reached a historical high of 126 tons in July 2026. — tg_agentstvonews
Coverage (6 sources)
- Maldives became a new hub for Russia to bypass sanctions. Dual-use goods are reprocessed directly at the airport and sent by Aeroflot flights to Moscow, WSJ learned. — Meduza
- WSJ: Maldives became Russia's secret hub for bypassing sanctions — Дождь (Telegram)
- WSJ: Maldives became Russia's secret hub for bypassing sanctions — Дождь
- Russia turned the Maldives into a major hub for supplying sanctioned goods — The Moscow Times
- WSJ reported how the Maldives became a secret hub for sanctioned supplies to Russia — The Bell
- Maldives became a secret hub for Russia to bypass sanctions — Агентство. Новости