The team of the Trap Aggressor project of the StateWatch think tank publishes a report on Russia’s logistics infrastructure and provides recommendations that will help the  aggressor get off the military track. The report was conducted with the participation of experts from the sanctions teams of the Kyiv School of Economics and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine.

Russia effectively provides its army with the necessary resources and weapons, moves personnel and supplies the military-industrial complex through the network of transportation links. In addition, the logistics infrastructure plays an important role in circumventing Western sanctions through parallel import: transit routes with “friendly” countries help in this regard. Sea, air and rail connections feed Russia’s economy, as exports of natural resources remain one of the main sources of the country’s GDP.

The application of sanctions restrictions to elements of Russia’s transportation infrastructure is necessary to reduce the country’s military potential and ability to continue the war against Ukraine. In addition, the imposition of sanctions on key Russian transportation companies will help prevent the circumvention of sanctions on military and dual-use goods through third-party intermediaries.

Operational air links: Russian aviation

Russia’s aviation infrastructure plays an important role in the war against Ukraine, especially in terms of operational logistics and supplies. Russia uses air traffic to supply cruise and ballistic missiles to strategic aviation bases and areas of use, while civilian cargo aviation provides supplies of sanctioned goods, including Western weapons components.

Trap Aggressor and its partners have identified key airlines through which Russia transports military cargo and imports Western components and equipment for weapons production in order to circumvent sanctions. These are Aerostan and the Volga-Dnepr group of companies, both of which specialize in charter cargo transportation. After the outbreak of full-scale war, they largely refocused on the transportation of sanctioned goods, including strategically important electronics.Trap Aggressor has already described how the aircrafts of the Russian company Volga-Dnepr serves the Russian defense industry.

Russia regularly uses civilian airports to deploy military aircraft, base aircraft, and service flights delivering sanctioned goods, military equipment, weapons, and personnel. Most of them are included in the “List of Jointly Used Airfields,” according to which civilian airports are used by the Ministry of Defense, the Russian Guard, the FSB, the FSO, aircraft manufacturing and repair companies, and certain military aviation flight units.

Handling companies provide ground handling services for aircraft, i.e., they actually provide all of the above activities of airlines and airports.

The vast majority of airline and handling companies are not sanctioned by most countries of the sanctions coalition. This allows them to continue to operate without hindrance, import the necessary products, and participate in international cooperation.

The main transportation artery of Russia: railway infrastructure

Russian railways are key to Russia’s military supplies. The railroad infrastructure is also actively used to supply the necessary imported products to circumvent sanctions restrictions. These are mainly heavy and large goods, such as industrial equipment and raw materials.

Trap Aggressor and partners collected information on the 30 largest railway operators in Russia and identified Russian companies specializing in the transportation of military equipment. For example, the company Military Transportation LLC is engaged in the transportation of anti-aircraft missile systems, tracked and wheeled vehicles, but is still only under Ukrainian sanctions.

In addition, Russia is actively building railways between the occupied territories of Ukraine and major cities of the Russian Federation to deliver military equipment, equipment and personnel to the Russian army, and is developing civilian railroad connections.

Fueling the economy and the shadow fleet: maritime transportation

Russia’s maritime infrastructure serves to support the country’s economy and military needs. It is by sea that Russia delivers raw materials for export, and also uses maritime traffic to diversify its logistics infrastructure and circumvent sanctions. Russia also uses the fleet to transport weapons and their components – it is known that Russia imports components for its own Shahed-136 production in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone from Iran via the Caspian Sea. Earlier, Trap Aggressor reported to The Washington Post on the production of Russian drones in this zone.

“Friendly to Russia” countries are involved in strengthening the Russian Navy, and companies from Iran and several other countries serve the maritime infrastructure of the Russian Federation, including the delivery of military and sanctioned cargo.

Despite the important role of ports and marine terminal operators in circumventing sanctions restrictions, most of them are still not under EU and US sanctions.

How to weaken Russian war logistics — recommendations

To deter Russian military aggression, prevent sanctions circumvention and reduce its military capabilities, it is necessary to weaken Russia’s logistics capabilities. To do this, the following measures should be taken:

• imposing sanctions on key Russian legal entities and individuals involved in the provision of key logistics arteries of Russia;
• restriction of access of Russian companies to international transportation networks and maintenance;
• complete cessation of international cooperation with Russian infrastructure companies, including a ban on maintenance and financing of such projects;
• imposing sanctions on companies that serve Russian logistics, as well as on those that facilitate Russia’s circumvention of international sanctions;
• a ban on insurance and maintenance services for Russian and foreign companies involved in the supply of sanctioned goods, as well as leasing of vehicles;
• monitoring compliance with sanctions and export restrictions, as well as eliminating gray areas in the legislation that allow Russia to circumvent these restrictions.

Sanctions and other measures taken by Ukraine’s partner countries should unite the civilized world in the fight against Russian military aggression and weaken its extensive system of international logistics.