Russia’s Market Loses Nearly Half of Imported Parallel Goods in 2025, Official Data Shows

Russia’s so-called parallel imports of foreign goods fell by nearly half in 2025 as Russian officials tightened controls on sanctions-bypassing supply routes, according to The Moscow Times on January 9. 

Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said Russia brought in $20.9 billion worth of goods via parallel-import schemes from January through November, down 45% from $37.9 billion in the same period a year earlier, with monthly volumes dropping to about $2 billion from roughly $4 billion when the system was launched.

Russia introduced parallel imports in 2022 to allow goods to be imported without trademark holders’ consent, and the government extended the mechanism through 2026 while planning further reductions in categories it says can be replaced by domestic or “friendly” suppliers.

Alikhanov said the ministry’s earlier forecast of $25 billion for 2025 “no longer looks relevant,” citing customs data showing a sustained decline.

The outlet said the government removed cosmetics and perfumes from “unfriendly” countries from the eligible list and has signaled plans to exclude some clothing and electronics.

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It added that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, ordered tighter oversight of goods routed through Kazakhstan, after which customs officials were given broader powers to seize shipments lacking full documentation, leading to long border delays and leaving up to 10% of Russia’s imports stuck at the Kazakh border by November, according to importers and logistics firms cited by The Moscow Times.

Overall imports fell 2.4% in 2025 compared with the previous year and were 5.4% below 2021 levels, analysts at the Gaidar Institute said, adding that consumer-demand goods showed more resilience while investment-related categories remained below prewar volumes amid sanctions constraints and high borrowing costs. The Federal Customs Service reported imported goods worth $224.4 billion in January–October andprojected full-year imports of about $275 billion, The Moscow Times reported.

Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan tightened inspections on cargo headed to Russia—especially sanction-sensitive goods—triggering massive border queues and leaving thousands of trucks stuck for days.

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