Georgia's Revenue Service rejects reports on UK vehicles being sent to Russia via transit through country

The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia on Thursday said there was “no evidence” of “any sanctioned light vehicle” originating from the United Kingdom being sent to Russia via transit, export, or re-export through Georgia, in response to a report aired by the British television company Sky News on Tuesday.

The body added the report, titled Despite Sanctions Imposed Due to the Ongoing War in Ukraine, Sky News Reveals That Luxury Segment Cars Are Still Reaching Russia, had failed to specify which country's statistics were being referenced when mentioning an export volume of £26 million.

It also said the report had not specified which country's customs data the Sky News journalist had referred to in comments on a “transfer of luxury vehicles across borders”.

Sanctions imposed by the United States, the UK and the European Union on Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing war in Ukraine include restrictions affecting imports of light vehicles from the EU, UK and US into Russia or Belarus, the body said, adding the restrictions did not apply to the export or re-export of vehicles imported from the US and the EU to countries not listed in the sanctions published by these entities.

The ban does not extend to vehicles personally owned by individuals, used for personal purposes and those not intended for sale, it added, pointing out unlike other goods such as advanced technology or high-priority items, regulations concerning sanctions from these countries do not prohibit the transit of light vehicles destined for third countries, including through Russia.

Accordingly, Georgia cannot unilaterally impose bans on export, re-export or transit procedures for goods that are not subject to restrictions under sanctions. Therefore, we would not be able to implement any limitations on their movement”, the Service added.

• Re-exporting of US, EU-imported vehicles to Russia, Belarus to be prohibited from Georgia - Revenue Service

The body noted its Customs Department “strictly” monitored vehicles with transit numbers and thoroughly reviewed the submitted relevant documentation in cooperation with partner agencies.

The Service also addressed the issue of licence plates, refuting the claim that “most vehicles lack licence plates”.

When crossing the customs border, individuals present their vehicles to the customs officer with temporary licence plates issued along with a temporary certificate, which is valid only within the country”, it said.

The body claimed the report had been used by various domestic media outlets as a “means to attack the country and discredit the customs administration”, despite the report not explicitly labelling Georgia as a country evading sanctions.

The Service affirmed its commitment to collaborating and maintaining constant communication with authorities of the US and the EU, as well as with other partner countries, regarding transportation of sanctioned goods on Georgian territory as part of customs control procedures.

Georgia “fully upholds the established regulations and conducts strict monitoring of all types of customs operations at the border”, it added.