Kyrgyzstan risks becoming the first country from the CIS on which the European Union will impose sanctions for assisting Russia in circumventing restrictions.
Currently, the European Union is considering the possibility of applying sanctions against Kyrgyzstan related to its assistance to Russia in circumventing existing restrictions. This information was published by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the formation of the 20th sanctions package.
According to available data, Kyrgyzstan may become the first country to be subject to a special mechanism — the anti-circumvention tool, designed to combat the evasion of sanctions. Under this mechanism, it is planned to prohibit the supply of machinery and radio-electronic equipment to the country that could be used in the Russian economy and military sector.
As stated in the report, Kyrgyzstan, being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has become an important transit hub for the supply of goods subject to sanctions to Russia since the start of the special military operation.
Analysts from the Brookings Institution noted a sharp increase in exports from several European countries to Kyrgyzstan:
— from Estonia — by 10,000%,
— from Finland — by 3,100%,
— from Poland and Greece — by 2,200% and 2,100% respectively,
— from Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Czech Republic — by more than 1,000%.
Economist Robin Brooks from the Brookings Institution emphasized that "Kyrgyzstan has become a primary destination for European exports that ultimately end up in Russia."
If the sanctions are approved, Kyrgyzstan will become the first country from the former USSR against which the European Union will impose measures specifically for assisting in circumventing anti-Russian restrictions.
