German trucks cannot be sold in Russia because of the sanctions imposed on the aggressor from the EU. This also applies to Mercedes, but imports of Neva trucks to Russia continue to grow rapidly, despite the sanctions, because Putin needs the trucks. Russia is increasingly using German trucks to supply its troops in Ukraine with ammunition and supplies.
The German edition Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung writes about this, referring to a study by the Norwegian consulting company Corisk. According to these data, the Russian Federation especially often uses Mercedes-Benz trucks of the German automaker Daimler Truck.
Mercedes trucks from the German concern Daimler Truck Group and its partners are especially often used, and to a lesser extent trucks from Volkswagen subsidiaries - MAN and Scania
Since the EU has banned their export to Russia, they usually enter the country indirectly, through joint ventures and intermediaries. Very often the route goes through Chinese intermediaries, but suppliers from Europe are also often involved, as well as Chinese partner companies of European corporations, notes FAS.
Thus, compared to the pre-war year 2021, Russia has increased the import of banned trucks six times, with the value of purchases growing from 0.8 billion to 5.7 billion euros. The Federal Ministry of Economics confirmed to FAS that the global supply of goods critical to Russia's war remains a serious challenge for foreign policy and sanctions policy.
Daimler Truck, MAN and Scania said they could not be held responsible for their trucks entering Russia, as the vehicles likely arrived there “through several intermediaries” or “using unauthorized channels”. At the same time, Corisk analysts, after researching mainly Russian online sites, including Avito, found a wide selection of new imported trucks produced in 2023-2024.
As of November 19, 2024. 3,526 new European trucks or cars from European brands were available on the Avito platform. Among them, 2,261 units, i.e. two-thirds belong to Daimler Truck models, and another 315 are from the truck range of Volkswagen subsidiaries and its partners.