Russia has banned meat, fish, dairy and fruit and vegetable imports from Western countries in the most drastic retaliatory measures taken by the Kremlin so far.
The measures – a response to sectoral sanctions designed to punish Russia for stoking the on-going civil war in Ukraine – affect all countries to impose sanctions on Russia and could make an impact on up to ten per cent of Russia’s food imports.
Announcing the ban at a cabinet meeting last week, Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister, said the ban would not apply to children’s food or products bought abroad by private individuals.
“Russia imposes a total ban on the import of beef, pork, fruit and vegetables, poultry, fish, cheese, milk, and dairy products from the countries of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, and the kingdom of Norway,” said Mr Medvedev.
“There is nothing good in sanctions and it wasn’t an easy decision to take, but we had to do it,” he added.