If all went well for Mazhit Ismailov, he’d soon be able to drive his truck through one of the biggest loopholes in the European Union’s sanctions against Moscow.
The gangly 22-year-old had been stopped by Latvian border guards as he tried to enter Russia. The issue wasn’t so much the load he was carrying, as the vehicle itself. Trucks like his have been banned from crossing over fears they could be deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine.
Ismailov wasn’t too worried though. He would be able to cross if he could convince the guards he was carrying legitimate cargo destined for another country like Kazakhstan. And then there are other options, he said with a grin: “If they don’t let me through here, I will just try to enter through another border checkpoint.”
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the most hawkish EU countries on sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but they’ve struggled to manage the 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) border they share with Russia and its ally, Belarus. As a result, the Baltic border crossings have become a prime destination for those seeking to evade sanctions on goods that could have both civilian and military uses, as well as luxury items like cars, according to government officials, customs officers and experts.