Land Cruisers, Mercedes SUVs slip through cracks in Russia sanctions

Over 2,000 new-model Japanese and German cars listed on Russian online dealer

20241214N Russian car site

Land Cruisers were the most listed restricted Japanese vehicle model on a Russia auto website. (Screenshot from Business Car; VIN partly redacted)

SHOTA FUJII, KENTO AWASHIMA and MASASHI IJICHI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Japanese and German luxury cars are available for purchase in Russia despite sanctions meant to block them, in some cases passing through multiples countries, Nikkei research shows.

For 2024 models, at least 1,030 Japanese-made cars subject to export restrictions were listed on Drom, one of Russia's biggest auto sales websites, as of early November.

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