Goods from EU countries continue to reach Russia, while some member states apply sanctions restrictions with varying degrees of strictness.
This is evidenced by a new report by the European Court of Auditors, BGNES reports.
According to the document, of the 202 components found in Russian drones and missiles, only eight came directly from the EU, but 145 originate from Western supply chains. Despite the fact that direct trade in dual-use goods has been virtually halted since 2023, Russia is successfully obtaining European parts via third countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkey and Armenia, as well as through new hubs in Malaysia and Thailand.
For example, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kazakhstan barely imported ball bearings, but in 2025 it brought in €58 million worth of these products, later redirecting some of the goods to Russia and Belarus worth €34 million.
The EU is trying to stop such practices by blacklisting suspicious companies in third countries and banning them from receiving components covered by sanctions. However, these measures constantly lag behind the methods used to circumvent them. As soon as one company is added to the list, another immediately appears in its place.
The auditors’ main criticism is directed at the EU states themselves. The report gives an example in which customs officers in Poland and Lithuania blocked a shipment for Russia that Italy had initially authorised on “humanitarian grounds”. After the shipment was returned to Italy, the local authorities cleared it again and sent it to Russia via an Italian port.
At the same time, the Baltic states, Poland, Finland and Croatia support strict controls. Latvia alone refused permission for goods to be exported outside the EU in 2,100 cases in 2024. In Bulgaria, since 2022, not a single breach of trade sanctions has been recorded in relation to goods transiting from other countries in the bloc.
The European Court of Auditors recommended that the European Commission tighten oversight of national customs authorities and formulate sanctions decisions more clearly in order to close loopholes for abuse.