Sanctions Ad Usum Delphini (For the Dauphin’s Use)

In May 2023, the US, the leading country in sanctions against the Kremlin, doubled its imports from Russia.

In May 2023 (latest available data – ed.), US increased imports from Russia by 2.3 times. This was reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in Washington. While in April the US imports from Russia amounted to $215.6 million, in May the volume of Russian exports to the States reached $504 million.

Despite the Western sanctions, Russia continues to export titanium, timber, rubber, aluminum, rocket boosters, chemical fertilizers, and hundreds of other goods and commodities to the US. Some argue that almost 100% of furniture and flooring in the “economy” segment are made in America from Russian wood; many goods “made in Russia” go abroad through third countries and complex “triangulations” with the participation of some South-East Asian countries. For example, international media write that the US imports Russian oil from India and Singapore. In addition, the United States are importing oil from Kazakhstan, which is blended with Siberian crude oil when delivered to Russian ports by tankers. Well-informed Russian sources refute the official US statistics, arguing that in reality the volume of official Russian exports plus its “gray” portion in the US is hovering around $1 billion a month.