According to a study, the British auto industry shipped an additional £40 million worth of vehicles to Azerbaijan in the first month of this year, sparking further concerns about whether the vehicles were shipped there in order to get around sanctions against Russia.
While direct auto exports to Russia are still at zero, as they have been since sanctions were imposed in 2022, new data from Revenue & Customs reveals that in January, £43 million worth of automobiles were shipped to Azerbaijan, the former Soviet nation that borders Russia.
UK automakers have promised not to ship vehicles to Russia, and the transfer of “dual use” goods that might be used as weaponry in the conflict in Ukraine is officially prohibited by sanctions. Certain prohibitions prohibit trading automobiles valued at more than £42,000.
But last week, a study by News revealed that within the exact same time frame that saw a dramatic increase in British auto exports to Azerbaijan, there was also a nearly simultaneous increase in Azerbaijani car exports to Russia.
