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WSJ investigation: Russia uses Maldives airport in Malé as transit hub for sanctioned goods

Updated 2 September 2026

A Wall Street Journal investigation reports that Russia is using the international airport in Malé, Maldives, as a key transit point to import sanctioned and dual-use goods from the US, Europe, and China. Daily Aeroflot flights carry cargo that is processed by local intermediaries linked to Russian logistics companies and reloaded onto flights to Moscow. Some shipments reach sanctioned Russian entities including S7 Airlines.

Why it matters

The scheme exposes a concrete transshipment route that allows Western-sanctioned and dual-use goods — including microchips potentially usable in missile guidance systems, optical instruments for tracking, and high-strength aerospace fasteners — to reach Russian entities despite export restrictions. Some cargo is delivered to sanctioned companies such as S7 Airlines and its maintenance subsidiaries. The transit operation has reportedly turned Maldives Airports Company into the country's most profitable state-owned enterprise, with record daily cargo volumes and record annual profits in 2024. Western governments are said to be increasing pressure on the Maldives over its role in sanctions evasion. The sharp divergence between Maldives official customs statistics, which show almost no exports to Russia, and Russian import data compiled by Import Genius, which show a jump from under $7 million in 2021 to over $630 million in 2022, illustrates how difficult it is to track and quantify such schemes, especially as Russian authorities reportedly began censoring trade data in 2024 and blocked access in early 2025.

What happened

According to a WSJ investigation, Russia is using the international airport in Malé as a transit hub to import sanctioned and dual-use goods into Russia. Each morning, a commercial Aeroflot flight lands at Malé airport. Local intermediaries working with Russian-linked logistics companies process customs for goods arriving from the US, Europe, and China, after which the cargo is reloaded onto Aeroflot flights to Moscow. Goods often receive only minimal customs processing and may not leave the airport territory. A new air waybill can be created that omits the original seller and names a different Russian importer. Dual-use items transiting the route include microchips potentially usable in missile guidance systems, optical instruments that could be used for tracking enemy forces or satellites, and high-strength aerospace rivets and bolts suitable for civil aircraft, fighters, or long-range missiles. Some cargo goes to sanctioned entities, including Russia's largest domestic airline S7 Airlines and its maintenance subsidiaries. A reported example involves German company Kraemer Mining selling approximately €9,000 of equipment to a Kyrgyz company in May 2024; the cargo was shipped from Germany to Malé and reloaded onto an Aeroflot flight to Moscow, with the new air waybill naming a Russian importer in Krasnoyarsk as the recipient. In July 2024, Maldives Airports Company reported a record daily cargo transit volume of 126 tonnes in a single day, and the company posted a record profit in 2024, making it the country's most profitable state-owned enterprise. The government of the Maldives and Maldives Airports Company declined to comment on the alleged scheme. The investigation is based on air waybills, cargo manifests, emails between logistics companies, and interviews with Western officials.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian-language coverage frames the Maldives transit scheme as direct evidence that Russia is successfully bypassing Western sanctions. Ukrainian sources emphasize the dual-use nature of the goods transiting the route — microchips for missiles, optical instruments for tracking, and aerospace fasteners — and the delivery of cargo to sanctioned Russian entities such as S7 Airlines and its subsidiaries. The coverage also highlights the scale of the alleged evasion, pointing to hundreds of millions of dollars in Russian imports routed through the Maldives, and portrays the Maldives airport and its state-owned operator as commercially benefiting from sanctions circumvention.

Where reporting differs

Maldives official customs statistics show virtually no exports to Russia between 2022 and 2025 (for example, about $2,300 for tuna and $25 for leaflets/brochures). Russian import data compiled by US research firm Import Genius, however, show Russian imports from the Maldives jumping from less than $7 million in 2021 to over $630 million in 2022, with approximately $160 million in 2024. Import Genius researcher William George said the 2024 figures likely understate true trade volume because Russian authorities appeared to begin censoring some trade data in 2024 and fully blocked access in early 2025.

Background

Maldives official customs data show negligible direct exports to Russia from 2022 to 2025, while Russian import data compiled by Import Genius show a jump from under $7 million in 2021 to over $630 million in 2022, with approximately $160 million in 2024. Russian authorities reportedly began censoring some trade data in 2024 and blocked access in early 2025. Russian citizens are the second-largest group of tourists visiting the Maldives, after Chinese nationals. The government of the Maldives and Maldives Airports Company declined to comment on the alleged scheme.

Sources