Moscow Dealership Circumvents Sanctions, Selling Tesla Cybertrucks and Other Luxury Cars

A Moscow car dealership that opened during the war against Ukraine is circumventing international sanctions by selling premium vehicles, including the Tesla Cybertruck, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Porsche Cayenne Coupe while importing through Kyrgyzstan, according to a joint investigation by Novaya Gazeta Evropa, OCCRP, IStories, and other media outlets, on February 26.

These luxury cars, which have become scarce in Russia due to sanctions and restrictions on luxury imports, often receive customs documents remotely, without the cars physically entering Kyrgyzstan.

The dealership, Berg Auto Premium, which has been in operation since October 7, 2023, is located on the 15th kilometer of Novorizhskoye Highway in Moscow. It advertises a “wide selection” of expensive foreign cars on its website, claiming that “there are no borders” for its operations.

Journalists discovered that when an IStories reporter inquired about purchasing a German-made Porsche 911 Turbo, the dealership claimed that the vehicle would be shipped by plane from Europe to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and then transported to Moscow. Another option provided by the dealership was delivery by ferry via Georgia.

Despite these claims, most of the cars sold by Berg Auto Premium are imported through Kyrgyzstan. Customs statistics show that in 2023, Kyrgyzstan imported $2.7 billion worth of cars, almost 12 times more than in the years 2019 to 2021, an increase of over 1,100%.

Nearly 900 BMWs, 820 Mercedes, and 230 Porsches were brought into Russia this way, according to the investigation.

An anonymous Kyrgyz customs officer told journalists that cars receiving Kyrgyz customs clearance often do not physically enter the country.

The officer explained that such cars are registered remotely for a fee of $2,000 to $3,000 per vehicle. “We call it a 'wi-fi system'—everything happens remotely,” the officer said. The lack of physical customs inspection allows dealers to avoid paying import duties, saving significant costs.

Mark Berg, the co-founder of Berg Auto Premium, is also known by the name Benas Gutkauskas. Gutkauskas, a Lithuanian citizen, has been living in Russia for years and received Russian citizenship.

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he changed his name but retained his Lithuanian citizenship. Investigators uncovered a criminal record for Gutkauskas in Lithuania, including charges for violence and hooliganism.

Berg Auto Premium also operates an Instagram page for its Kyrgyz office. On this page, Aziz Zhyrgalbekov is listed as a contact person and confirmed that the dealership imports cars from Europe and South Korea via Kyrgyzstan.

Zhyrgalbekov mentioned the strong cooperation among Kyrgyz, Russian, and Belarusian actors in the local market. Additionally, a TikTok video posted by Syrgakbek Atyshov, another individual associated with the dealership, shows a shipment of a new Range Rover to Moscow. Journalists noted Atyshov’s close connections with the family of Kyrgyzstan’s president, citing numerous photos with Eskat Nurkozhoev, the nephew of President Sadyr Japarov.

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