Russia Confiscates Dual-Use Goods Transits From China

Russia has been confiscating dual-use goods from China that are transiting through the country, leading to companies seeking alternative routes bypassing Russia altogether. 

The confiscation applied to goods such as mechanical and electronic products that could potentially be used by Western forces in Ukraine en route to Europe.

South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing industry representatives, said thousands of containers were affected, many of which were only aware of the ban after the goods made their way into Russia and are now held by Russian authorities. 

SCMP estimated that “80,000 20-foot (six-metre) equivalent units of goods” transit via Russia from China by rail each month. 

Andrew Jiang, CEO of Shanghai-based freight forwarder Air Sea Transport, told SCMP that his company has avoided sending goods via Russia since November. 

Chinese news outlet Caixin Global reported in February that the confiscations arose from Russian Directive No. 1374 issued in October 2024, which expanded the list of goods prohibited from transiting through Russia that included items such as machinery, electronics and camouflage clothing, primarily targeting goods used for both civilian and military purposes.

“This directive gives Russian customs significant authority to detain goods they suspect might have military or dual-use applications. Inspections can occur at any station, meaning goods that clear the border may still face delays or detention deeper into Russian territory,” said Yang Jie, head of Eurasian Railway International Freight Forwarding (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., on social media, according to Caixin Global. 

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The Moscow Times, citing industry sources, said the confiscations have also impacted Russian importers as Chinese exporters refused to send items to Russian customers in fear of confiscations. 

“Our agents are literally running around the railway station with a Boeing wing and wondering how to send it,” one importer told The Moscow Times. 

The Moscow Times noted that China and Kazakhstan opened railways in March that would allow merchants to bypass Russia by having the goods go through Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey before making their way to Europe.