Verkhovna Rada deputy: Russia uses Georgian organizations to circumvent sanctions

Ukrainian MP accuses Georgia of helping Russia circumvent sanctions

David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People faction in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, says Russian companies are using Georgian organizations to circumvent sanctions.

Arakhamia spoke about this at an event of the Marshall Fund in Washington.

According to Arakhamia, Russia is actively using Georgian banks, financial systems and Georgian companies to circumvent the Western sanctions:

“If you are a sanctioned Russian, you go online, open a Georgian company, open a remote bank account and start processing”, he said.

"Lack of political will" – Why Georgia does not join anti- Russian sanctions?

Since the begining of the war in Ukraine, the Georgian government is trying to equally satisfy both the West and Moscow – all while refusing to join international sanctions against Russia

The Georgian government says the country will not join the sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, as this is contrary to “national interests”.

At the same time, the president and other state departments claim the opposite, saying that Georgia supports all the sanctions imposed by Western countries and will not allow its territory to be used to bypass them.

As a result of financial sanctions, the assets of the Central Bank of Russia are frozen. Russia cannot use the $630 billion reserve, cannot repay international loans, and the SWIFT international communication system is disconnected from the seven largest banks in Russia, which is causing the transfer of funds to be delayed.

On April 4, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced that Russia was establishing a smuggling route through Georgia. According to them, the political leadership of Georgia agreed with Russia on the smuggling of sanctioned products through its territory.

The Georgian government denied the allegations and called on the Ukrainian side to apologize.