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A Wall Street Journal investigation says hundreds of millions of dollars worth of restricted goods and goods destined for sanctioned Russian companies have passed through Velana International Airport on their way to Russia.
Nazeem Noushad
MALÉ: The report says shipments from the US, Europe and China, including aircraft parts, electronics and microchips, are transferred between aircraft in Malé before continuing to Moscow on Aeroflot flights.
According to the Journal, the cargo generally stays in transit at the airport and is not formally brought into the Maldives as an import.
The investigation also points to a sharp difference between Maldivian and Russian trade records. Maldivian Customs recorded about US$2,300 in exports to Russia between 2022 and 2025, while Russian trade data cited by the Journal showed more than US$630 million in imports attributed to the Maldives in 2022.
The figures do not mean that the Maldives exported US$630 million worth of goods to Russia.
The Journal reported that Western officials have raised concerns with Maldivian authorities over the reported transit route. Local logistics company Freight Care denied knowingly handling goods that could be used to produce weapons. The Maldivian government and Maldives Airports Company did not respond to requests for comment from the Journal.
R24 has not independently verified the findings reported by The Wall Street Journal.
