Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) is restricting the import of all quarantine products from Armenia effective June 12, 2026, Rosselkhoznadzor said.
The ban applies to products both produced in Armenia and shipped from the country. Transit through Russia to Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states is also restricted. The ban is in effect until a specific algorithm for ensuring the safety and traceability of shipped goods is developed, Rosselkhoznadzor said.
"The decision has been reached owing to the systematic detection of quarantine items. The service has been gradually restricting the import of certain types of Armenian quarantine products and has repeatedly sent information to the Armenian side about supply disruptions since the beginning of May this year," Rosselkhoznadzor notes.
"However, detection of quarantine items continues. In June, three cases of infection with the khapra beetle were identified in nuts, dried peaches and dried tomatoes supplied from Armenia," Rosselkhoznadzor said.
According to the service, this indicates insufficient control by the authorized body of Armenia and calls into question the reliability of the phytosanitary certification system. "The ineffectiveness of the Armenian quarantine and plant protection service threatens the phytosanitary well-being of Russia and the EAEU," Rosselkhoznadzor said.
The khapra beetle is a polyphagous pest of stored products, which is not present in Russia. It damages cereals, oilseeds, legumes, industrial crops and their processed products, as well as forest, ornamental and other crops. It can infest grain storage facilities, vehicles, raw material and flour warehouses, mills, feed mills, confectionery factories, malt houses and crushing units of breweries. It is capable of destroying up to 70% of stored products.
The economic damage to Russia may be expressed not only in crop losses and the implementation of measures to localize and eliminate infestation foci, but also in the possible loss of export markets with countries where this pest is an absent quarantine item, Rosselkhoznadzor said.
As reported, starting on May 22, 2026, Russia introduced temporary restrictions on imports of flowers from Armenia, and on imports of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy vegetables and strawberries from May 30. From June 2, similar restrictions were introduced on supplies of sweet cherries, cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines and grapes, while from June 3, imports of pome fruits, eggplants, potatoes and dried fruits was restricted. Violations in the supply of these products to Russia are cited as the reason for the restrictions.
