Rise in Exports of Fridges, Washers Sparks Export Control Evasion Concerns, Report Says
European officials are concerned that a sudden increase in exports of washing machines, refrigerators and other items to Russian neighbors are being used to help the country acquire semiconductors and evade export controls, Bloomger reported Oct. 29. Armenia imported more washing machines from the EU during the first eight months of this year than the last two years combined, the report said, and Kazakhstan imported more than triple the amount of refrigerators through August compared with the same period last year. European officials are concerned some of the items' components may be used by Russia's military, the report said, and have publicly said they have seen parts from fridges in Russian military equipment used in Ukraine.
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Determining the ultimate destination of household items sent to Armenia and Kazakhstan is complicated, especially because both are part of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia and has no customs borders, the report said. “European companies may not want to ship directly to Russia even if their products are not sanctioned, given the optics of being seen to do business with the country right now,” the report said.