Pressure grows to halt trade in Russian diamonds

Through just 1 sq km in Belgium's second city pass 86% of the world's rough diamonds. 

- Jennifer Rankin ANTWERP

Into its nondescript offices arrive billion-year-old gemstones from mines in Botswana, Canada, South Africa, Angola-and Russia. Despite the war in Ukraine that has halted billions of dollars in trade, Belgium continues to import diamonds from Russia, albeit in much-diminished quantities.

The EU has stopped importing Russian coal, is phasing out most Russian oil and has stopped buying numerous Russian goods, including gold, caviar, and vodka. Yet diamonds have evaded the sanctions list again and again. The omission is even more striking as the trade affects only one member - Belgium - which has always said it would not block a ban. Trade has continued despite moral pressure from Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Peace was worth "more than any diamonds", he told Belgium's parliament in March.

Alrosa, the Russian diamond company, is 66% owned by Russia and the republic of Yakutia, the vast north Siberian region that is home to most of the company's mines. Alrosa's chief executive, Sergei Sergeevich Ivanov, was one of the first oligarchs to have sanctions imposed by the US on day one of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His father, Sergei Borisovich Ivanov, a former Russian defence minister, also under US sanctions, is said by Washington to be one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies.

Furthermore, the company has funded a combat submarine, named the Alrosa, according to internal company literature and the European Commission. The Alrosa submarine returned to the seas in June after an eight-year upgrade that included fitting the vessel with Kalibr cruise missiles, Russian news agency Tass reported in June.