Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western sanctions were designed to sever Moscow from the global economy — yet geography and economic incentive have conspired to create an unexpected detour. Kyrgyzstan, a small Central Asian nation of six million, has quietly positioned itself as the connective tissue between Chinese supply chains and Russian markets, allowing goods to flow where policy intended them not to. The arrangement is not illegal by Kyrgyzstan's own standing, but it illuminates an enduring truth about economic statecraft: determined actors will always seek the path of least