The European Union has activated its anti-circumvention tool for the first time as part of the 20th sanctions package against Russia, imposing secondary sanctions on Kyrgyzstan. The move targets the alleged systematic re-export of EU-sanctioned goods to Russia via Kyrgyz territory.

According to a European Commission statement, the EU has turned a blind eye to systematic circumvention by third-country exporters who re-export sanctioned EU goods to Russia. Specifically, the measures target machine tools and telecommunications equipment used in the production of drones and missiles, which are allegedly being sold, supplied, transferred, or exported to Russia from Kyrgyzstan.

The list of goods banned for export to Kyrgyzstan includes any numerically controlled machine tools and radio equipment. The EU Council stated that the decision was based on a thorough analysis of trade data, which purportedly shows a significant increase in the re-export of high-priority goods to Russia via Kyrgyzstan.

In addition, the EU has prohibited transactions with four more banks in Kyrgyzstan. Previously, in October 2025, the EU had added Kyrgyz banks Tolubay and Eurasian Savings Bank to its sanctions list.

Kyrgyz officials have not yet commented on the EU's decision. In February, Bloomberg reported that the EU was planning to apply the anti-circumvention tool to Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, in an interview with the Kabar agency in August 2025, claimed that there is not a single fact of sanctioned goods being transported through Kyrgyzstan to Russia. He argued that if such facts existed, the countries raising objections would have provided evidence. Instead, he pointed to alleged facts that the countries that imposed sanctions on Russia are themselves directly cooperating with Russia to the tune of billions of dollars.

Source: www.gazeta.uz