Russia extends Armenia import bans to apples, eggplants, and dried fruit. Pashinyan promises subsidies for affected exporters.

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance has banned imports of potatoes, eggplants, pome fruits — apples, pears, and quince — and dried fruit from Armenia, effective June 3, 2026.

Russia has also barred the transit of those agricultural products through its territory to other Eurasian Economic Union member states, citing “the absence of mechanisms to confirm that quarantine-controlled goods have reached those countries.”

The restrictions carry no end date — they will remain in force “until a corresponding procedure is developed to ensure the safety of shipped goods.”

Armenia’s Economy Ministry, Rosselkhoznadzor stated, “has structural problems and is unable to fulfill its responsibilities for overseeing agricultural producers.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan promised to support producers and exporters facing “unfair barriers” to trade, saying the government would introduce subsidy and support programs and help those who have suffered losses find new markets.

“Peppers are spoiling, roses are spoiling — the government will pay for that, but as a result of all this, pepper production in Armenia will grow, and exports will grow too,” Pashinyan was quoted as saying by the Armenpress news agency.

In recent weeks, Russia has banned the import of a range of goods from Armenia, including flowers, mineral water, vegetables, herbs, peaches, strawberries, and fish. The restrictions come as Armenia prepares for parliamentary elections on June 7 and amid Yerevan’s growing ties with Western countries and the European Union.

Russia and its allies in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have called on Armenia to hold a referendum on its membership in the bloc. Pashinyan has refused.