Restrictions on supplies of Armenian products to Russia not related to politics, says Rosselkhoznadzor

Restrictions on supplies of a number of food products from Armenia to Russia are related exclusively to identified violations and have no political overtones.

This was stated by the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Sergey Dankvert.

In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, he noted that the agency has many years of data on the work of enterprises, results of laboratory tests, information on supplies and recorded violations.

"I have not seen a single president who would say that the restrictions are not politicized. But in this case, it is about something else. We have a long history of working with enterprises, results of laboratory tests, data on supplies and identified violations," he said.

According to Dankvert, the main problem lies in insufficient quality control on the part of producers. Between the stages of production and shipment of products, there are no necessary mechanisms of internal control and interaction.

He explained that thousands of bunches of greens are collected into one batch and sent in one vehicle, after which the controlling authorities have to check large volumes of products. In such conditions, it is extremely difficult to ensure full control of each unit of goods.

On May 15, Rosselkhoznadzor announced its intention to inspect a number of Armenian enterprises whose product supplies had previously been suspended. The reason was suspicions of supplies of falsified fish products, presumably of European origin. On May 22, the agency announced restrictions on the import of flowers from Armenia.

Based on the results of inspections conducted jointly with the Food Safety Inspection Body of Armenia, restrictions for two enterprises were lifted. Inspections of the remaining companies are ongoing.

On May 30, 2026, Rosselkhoznadzor introduced temporary restrictions on imports from Armenia of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens and strawberries. The agency explained that the decision is related to increased violations in the supply of Armenian fruit and vegetable products and was taken to ensure phytosanitary safety.

From June 2, supplies of stone fruit crops — cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, as well as grapes — were restricted.

From June 12, Rosselkhoznadzor restricted the import and transit to other EAEU countries of quarantine products produced in Armenia or shipped from the territory of the republic. The restrictions apply to all plant products, with the exception of canned goods.

Russia accounts for more than 90% of Armenia's agricultural exports.