Trucks from Kazakhstan Are Being Allowed into Russia Selectively — Entrepreneurs

Freight traffic has partially resumed at the Kazakh–Russian border as of November 1, though not all transport companies are being allowed to cross, Orda.kz reports, citing Uralskaya Nedelya.

Entrepreneurs claim that only trucks belonging to several transport firms associated with the “Gadjiev-associated” transport and logistic companies — or those that pay around $700 in cash per cargo for clearance — are permitted through the checkpoint.

According to the Uralskaya Nedelya, Russia had completely halted truck crossings since early September, leaving more than 2,000 vehicles stranded in Oral (Uralsk). Many drivers have since returned home, leaving their loaded trucks behind.

One logistics company owner, speaking anonymously, said that while the Russian side has recently resumed allowing some Kazakhstani trucks through, the bottleneck now lies with Kazakhstan's border officials.

The Kazakh border service only lets four companies cross — they’re all called ‘Gadjiev’s.’ The only way to move our cargo into Russia is to pay $700 to have it cleared under their name, the businessman told Uralskaya Nedelya.

He estimated that if all stranded trucks paid this fee, the total “turnover” from the scheme would be substantial.

Business owners in Almaty reportedly attempted to contact Gadji Gadjiev, previously linked to alleged illicit operations at the Chinese border, as detailed in earlier Orda.kz investigations.

Gadjiev supposedly denied ownership of the transport firms in question.

Even if Gadjiev himself is no longer involved, these companies clearly have high-level backing — only they get a ‘green corridor’ at the border while others remain blocked, the entrepreneur said.

In late September, Orda.kz reported that around 500 Kazakh trucks were stuck near Oral due to border restrictions. Earlier, Editor-in-Chief Gulnara Bazhkenova published an investigation concerning how billions were siphoned from trade operations at the Kazakh–Chinese border.

Original Author: Correspondent