According to Russian journalists, such a move by Ankara was unexpected for sellers and they are urgently looking for other options for the transit of sanctioned goods.
The customs system of Turkey began to block the process of processing the transit of sanctioned goods to Russia. We are talking about goods that are supplied to the Russian Federation as part of parallel imports, Kommersant reports.
Georgy Vlastopulo, CEO of Optimalog, told reporters that the Turkish side blocked the shipment of all goods of non-Turkish origin.
“Last night, they began to receive letters that the Turkish customs system is blocking the transit clearance of goods of non-Turkish origin. This morning they tried to process it again, but the system really blocks everything,” he said.
At the same time, according to Valeria Savenkova, commercial director of Transasia Logistics, an official statement on the ban on the import of sanctioned goods is unlikely to appear. Reason: This is how Turkey would make it clear that it has been supplying sanctioned goods to Russia over the past year.
“Therefore, information will appear only through unofficial channels and, roughly speaking, in practice. Today, the system for processing transit and export goods to Russia in Turkey does not work,” Savenkova emphasized.
The interlocutors of the publication believe that an unspoken ban on the import of sanctioned goods through Turkey to Russia could have been adopted after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid an official visit to Ankara.
In September 2022, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) reported that about 1 million tons of various goods worth $6 billion were imported into Russia as part of parallel imports, that is, in a roundabout way without the permission of the copyright holders who banned sales in the aggressor country.
As the head of the FCS, Vladimir Ivin, explained, fake devices, toys, clothes, shoes, etc. sold in markets and small shops. Customs officers do not know how counterfeit products differ from the original, so if the documents are drawn up correctly, they end up on the shelves.
Earlier, information appeared on the network that at least 13 Turkish firms in 2022 exported goods to Russia for a total amount of at least $18.5 million. So, on February 3, The Wall Street Journal published an article in which it was said that 10 Russian companies received vehicles, plastic and rubber products and other goods under US sanctions.
The media also wrote that because of the war in Ukraine, impoverished Russians began to buy smartphones of unknown brands more often instead of iPhone and Samsung. Wanting to save money, many even choose used devices, although they used to take new ones.
