"How Russian Timber Bypasses U.S. Sanctions By Way Of Vietnam"

"A new report says Russian birch wood is routed through Asia before being shipped to American stores".

"HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Russian birch wood has continued to flow to American consumers, disguised as Asian products, despite U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, a new report says.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a nonprofit watchdog group based in Britain, has found that most birch products currently being exported from Vietnam to the United States originate in Russia. According to Vietnam customs data, roughly 40,000 cubic meters of birch wood is transported every month from Russia and China into Vietnam, where it’s assembled into furniture and plywood.

These chairs and bed frames end up on the shelves of major American retailers, the EIA said in a report, which was shared exclusively with The Washington Post."

Michael Tatarski reports for the Washington Post October 1, 2022.

Source: Washington Post, 10/03/2022