BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan has taken sweeping action to clamp down on companies suspected of circumventing Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The Kyrgyz Justice Ministry has announced that 50 companies will be forced to suspend their activities after they had been flagged by Western partners."After they report risks, we study them and respond. For example, the United States and the United Kingdom have made allegations regarding 51 companies," Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Amangeldiev told state news agency Kabar on May 19."We conducted an investigation and suspended the registration of 50 companies. There may be suspicious circumstances. We will prove it in court," he added.Kyrgyzstan has long been seen as a major conduit for sanctions evasion. Since sanctions were imposed on Russia in 2022, there have been massive increases in exports of certain goods to Kyrgyzstan that are subsequently re-exported to Russia.The new crackdown comes hot on the heels of the European Union's 20th sanctions package, which designated Kyrgyzstan a country of concern for circumvention.EU data cited in the decision pointed to sharp trade anomalies, including a more than 800 percent increase in Kyrgyz imports of specialized electronics from the EU between 2022 and 2025.European officials noted there was no corresponding rise in domestic manufacturing, reinforcing concerns that Kyrgyzstan had become a transit corridor for Russia's military-industrial supply chain.The EU package included a prohibition of exports of two items to Kyrgyzstan: radio equipment and computer-controlled CNC machines that cut, drill, and shape material. Both items can be used for drone production and have been reexported from Kyrgyzstan to Russia in very high numbers in recent years.'A Radical Decision'Amangeldiev spoke about a forthcoming crackdown in an interview with RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on May 2."If an entity linked to sanctions or suspected of being linked to them is identified, we cancel its legal registration. Once its legal registration is canceled, it automatically loses its registration in banks, cannot open accounts, and cannot conduct activities. We have taken such a radical decision," he said.The 50 companies affected have not been named.Kyrgyz media have reported they are engaged in wholesale trade, transport, and logistical support services.Several Kyrgyz-registered entities have already been sanctioned by the United States, the EU, or Britain since 2022 over alleged links to sanctions circumvention networks tied to Russia’s war economy.These include financial institutions such as Keremet Bank and Capital Bank of Central Asia, along with trading and logistics firms involved in electronics, machine tools, and payments infrastructure.During a visit to Bishkek in February, EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan said financial and crypto-currency platforms were another concern, saying there was "credible information" that certain banks were "helping Russia bypass sanctions.""We are not asking Kyrgyzstan to adopt our sanctions…. We understand that there are countries that, for various reasons, choose a different path," he told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service in an interview.But, he added, sanctions were a tool for the EU to maintain its own security.