Luxury cars made in the UK are finding their way to Russia despite the imposition of sanctions.
Direct exports from the UK to Russia ceased after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, data from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) shows that in 2023, the UK exported £273 million of vehicles to Azerbaijan—a huge increase on the years prior to the invasion.
The HMRC data also reveals that the average value of a British car exported to Azerbaijan is more than £100,000 – suggesting that the consignments are primarily luxury car models, such as those manufactured by Rolls Royce and Bentley.
UK carmakers say that they are no longer selling cars to Russia but that it is impossible to track each British consignment once it has left port.
