No One Would Expect What Is Happening in This Small Island State: Russians Move Hundreds of Millions in Sanctioned Goods Through It

Goods worth hundreds of millions of dollars are passing through the Maldives on their way to Russia, often without formally entering the country. After arriving at the airport, shipments undergo minimal customs checks and move directly from one aircraft to another.

The trade includes aircraft parts, electronic components and other restricted goods, some of them with dual civilian and military uses. Microchips can serve ordinary electronics as well as advanced missile-guidance systems. Optical instruments can support satellites tracking the movement of enemy troops, while high-strength aircraft rivets and bolts can be used in commercial planes, fighter aircraft and long-range missiles.

The shipments arrive in Malé each morning on a commercial flight operated by Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline. Local intermediaries linked to logistics companies working with Russia assist with customs procedures before the goods are loaded onto flights to Moscow. The aircraft return to the Russian capital about two hours later. Some of the goods then reach sanctioned companies, including S7 Airlines, whose maintenance businesses have struggled to obtain replacement parts for their older fleet.

Trade figures point to a sharp increase in traffic after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. Maldivian customs data recorded almost no exports to Russia between 2022 and 2025, including about $2,300 in tuna and $25 in leaflets and brochures. Russian data collected by U.S. research company ImportGenius, however, showed imports from the Maldives exceeded $630 million in 2022, compared with less than $7 million the previous year. The value fell to $160 million in 2024.

William George, ImportGenius’s research director, warned that the figures probably underestimate the scale of the trade. Russian authorities restricted access to some data during 2024 and blocked it entirely at the start of 2025. The Maldives also has strong economic ties with Russia: Russians form the archipelago’s second-largest group of foreign tourists after Chinese visitors, and the airport has a direct financial interest in the expanding traffic.

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These data likely underestimate the actual scale of the trade.