US EditionForeign Cars Flow to Russia Through China, Skirting Ukraine War Sanctions: Reuters
Nearly half of the 130,000 foreign-brand vehicles sold in Russia in 2025 were routed through China, exploiting gray-market schemes to bypass sanctions, Autostat data shows.
- Reuters found tens of thousands of cars exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes, based on Autostat registration data that identifies China as the primary conduit.
- Since Russia's 2022 invasion, the European Union, United States, South Korea and Japan imposed sanctions restricting Russia sales, and automakers from sanctioning regions pledged to curb operations.
- Traders reclassify new vehicles as used to bypass approvals, while zero-mileage used cars are discounted in China but sell like new in Russia, and shipping documents show German luxury SUVs moving from China to Russia.
- In 2025, Autostat shows nearly 47,000 BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen Group vehicles registered in Russia with over 20,000 made in China, plus nearly 30,000 Toyotas purchased, almost 24,000 made in China, accounting for nearly half of nearly 130,000 total sanctioning-country vehicles sold.
- Governments and companies say enforcement is difficult and are stepping up measures, with South Korea's trade ministry cracking down and Germany's economy ministry investigating sanctions violations, while Reuters could not trace all vehicle pathways and China and Russia oppose unilateral sanctions.
22 Articles
22 Articles
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Tens of thousands of cars are exported from China to Russia through parallel import schemes that often exalt the sanctions of Western and Asian governments and the car manufacturers' commitments to get out of the Russian market, according to data on...
Tens of thousands of foreign cars have been sent to Russia through intermediaries in China since 2023, which are listed as used in documents to avoid sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
How foreign cars are flowing to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions
Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under grey-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and carmakers’ commitments to exit the Russian market.
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Foreign cars flow to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions
Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market, according to registration data reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five people involved in the trade.
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- 54% of the sources are Center
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