The publication identified at least five Russian companies engaged in the illegal import of cars into Russia with engine sizes that fall under the sanctions imposed in 2022 as part of the luxury goods export ban to Russia.
However, this service has become more expensive, the publication reports. In total, the FT discovered over 50 luxury cars from 25 different German dealerships listed on the Russian site Auto.ru, which Russian importers were offering with an average markup of about €19,000.
According to a trade representative of the Russian importing company AvtoImport, exporting cars from Europe has "become a very complicated task," and now they are being delivered from Germany to Russia via Turkey and Georgia.
The representative also mentioned a "significantly cheaper route" for transporting cars through South Korea, which has imposed minimal sanctions against Russia. He explained that the onboard systems of the car can be reconfigured to Russian language for just 30,000 rubles.
In the EU, officials are aware that premium cars are still reaching Russia, but they are focused on combating the circumvention of sanctions concerning goods that could be used for military purposes, the publication writes.