The Russian Federation banned the import of Moldovan agricultural products through Belarus. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) announced temporary restrictions on the import into Russia of Moldovan vegetal products through Belarus. The restrictions took effect on March 14. Now the agrifood products with Moldovan certificates can be imported only through Russian checkpoints situated in Belgorod, Kursk and Briansk, IPN reports.

According to the online variant of the newspaper “Rossiskaia Gazeta”, Rosselhoznadzor took such a decision following a substantial rise in transportation by “difficult logistic ways”, especially through Belarus, after it allowed a number of Moldovan companies to export agricultural products to Russia.

Moreover, the imported products are similar by sorts and varieties to those from countries against which Russia imposed specific sanctions. At the end of January, the colleagues from Belarus were notified of this, but the transportation of suspect products to Russia through Belarus continued to grow. As a result, it was decided to impose temporary restrictions.

The Russian experts warn about the attempt to re-export banned goods through Belarus not for the first time. The first reports on the issue appeared in August 2014, almost immediately after Russia imposed a food ban on the Western countries. In Belarus, these accusations are classed as groundless.

Several weeks ago, journalists of RISE Moldova published an investigation about an illegal scheme to issue Moldovan certificates based on which fruit and vegetables from EU member states were exported to Russia.