Russia sanctions

Moscow doled out permanent entry bans on Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and eight other top officials and business leaders in retaliation for Japanese sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s substitution of VEB.RF with an under-the-radar firm is helping the country and its neighbors find a way around Western sanctions.

Russia is increasingly reliant on transnational schemes to circumvent sanctions, which occasionally run through Central Asia.

The countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus are being used to facilitate the transfer of sanctioned goods into Russia, including allegedly 13,000 kilos of chemical products recently seized in Barcelona.

As important is diversifying trade partners as deeper cooperation with Russia may incur diplomatic consequences for Pakistan.

Maintaining a balancing act between Russia, China and the West will only become more difficult for Central Asia.

Putin is making his first trip to North Korea in 24 years.

A recent report suggests that Elizaveta Peskova may have registered for an individual identification number in Kazakhstan -- that in turn may have enabled her to access the Kazakh banking system.

The West expected India to turn its back on Russia, but a look at the numbers shows that expectation was never realistic.

Goods exported to Russia from China via Central Asia need not be weapons in order to contribute to Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. 

Europe is pushing hard to advance the Middle Corridor, but other countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan will almost certainly benefit from the infrastructure being built.

Thirteen Chinese entities were included on a list of companies alleged to be breaching sanctions, which was shown to Xi in Beijing. 

Central Asia features prominently in conversations about evasion of sanctions on Russia and the possibility of secondary sanctions on the region’s economies.

Over the course of two days, six people were indicted in New York for a pair of sanctions evasion schemes, including one Tajik-Russian resident of Brooklyn.

A risky trade in sanctioned crude oil is taking place off the coast of Johor.

The city-state was the one Southeast Asian nation to impose sanctions on Russia, but its enforcement of sanctions compliance has left much to be desired.

The cost of electronics and household appliances in Russia may increase by 10-12 percent due to new restrictions at the Kazakh border.

The states of Central Asia were, unsurprisingly, on a recent list of possible  “transshipment points” Russia and Belarus may use to evade sanctions.

In listing an Uzbekistan-based company, the U.S. State Department has a warning: “If you do business with sanctioned entities or individuals, you risk exposure to sanctions.”

Kazakhstan stands to benefit as Russian companies look to move out of Russia in order to trade globally again.

Putin is expected to move funds through smaller banks, lean on energy sales, deal in cryptocurrency, and rely on Russia's relationship with China.

Despite its distance from Ukraine, Australia is keenly aware of the potential consequences of Russia’s aggression.

Such developments only exacerbate the challenges of managing differences in an important, complex relationship.

The emerging U.S.-China trade war will make a China-Russia axis even more likely.