INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia imported more than $29 million in U.S
dollar and euro banknotes from Rwanda this year, despite Western sanctions on cash imports, the investigative outlet Vyorstka reported on
Monday, citing confidential customs data.The United States and the European Union banned the export of their banknotes to Russia in March
2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Since then, an estimated $2.27 billion in dollars and euros has been sent to Russia from countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and
others that have not imposed such restrictions.According to Vyorstka, on Jan
18, a lesser-known company called Aero-Trade, which provides duty-free shopping services for flights and airports, registered two shipments
into Russia: one worth $20 million and another for 20 million euros ($22.14 million)
Aero-Trade as the only company that declared foreign currency imports for 2022 and 2023, reporting a total of $1.5 billion in banknotes
across 73 shipments, each valued at $20 million in either dollars or euros
