Vladimir Putin has approved a secret deal for Scotch whisky to be smuggled into Russia, side-stepping sanctions and import bans as his brutal invasion of Ukraine continues
Vladimir Putin has approved a secret deal for Scotch whisky to be smuggled into Russia, amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin boss has dodged an exports ban with the new deal that allows popular brands such as Bell’s, Johnnie Walker and Macallan across the border into Russia via a process called parallel imports.
Alternatively known as âthe grey market’ it means goods can be supplied without the consent of the manufacturer, owner, or licence holder to get them into the former Soviet Union.
This sneaky backdoor into trading already covers around 200 big brands including Apple, Marvel, Disney Pixar and DC Comics.