The article "The Invisible Burden – The Sanctioned Oil Route from Russia to Europe" states that in 2023–2024, Spain received 99,000 tons of Georgian oil from Georgia, amounting to €49 million. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, oil exports from Georgia to European countries have increased 15 times.
Journalists highlight that Georgia does not produce oil in such quantities. Furthermore, this volume of exports is not reflected in the database of the National Statistics Office of Georgia, although it is recorded in Spain's database. This indicates that Russia has established an "alternative" route for exporting and selling sanctioned raw materials.
The publication, which specializes in investigations, previously reported that the territory of Georgia acts as a "black hole" for Russia, assisting the Kremlin in illegally importing foreign cars and dual-use goods, which are then used in the production of weapons for the war in Ukraine.
"Georgia has taken on the roles not only of a Russian supplier but also of a trading intermediary. While we have previously heard that sanctioned products from Europe are being routed to Russia through Georgia, we can now state that sanctioned goods are going in the opposite direction," the article notes.