Russia bans flower imports from Armenia following criticism from Shoigu
The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation—Rosselkhoznadzor—has officially announced the imposition of a temporary ban on the import of floral products from Armenia, effective May 22.
Russian authorities justified this decision by citing the alleged detection of numerous quarantine pests in shipments, as well as the need to “protect Russia’s phytosanitary well-being and export potential.”
The trade restrictions were imposed immediately after public accusations by Yerevan of “unfriendly” actions on the part of Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
According to the official version of the Russian regulator, during inspections of 96.2 million units of imported flowers, experts recorded 135 cases of infection with the California flower thrips.
The agency separately emphasized that quarantine cases continue to be found despite official safety guarantees provided by the Armenian side.
By comparison, throughout 2025, the Russian side reported 176 similar cases of plant infestation.
This decision marks another step in Moscow’s escalating economic pressure on Yerevan amid a rapid cooling of bilateral relations.
Earlier, Rosselkhoznadzor had already reported the detection of 146 cases of contamination by dangerous insects and bacteria in shipments of Armenian fruits and vegetables.
In addition, the Kremlin raised concerns about shipments of “counterfeit” rainbow trout of European origin, Armenian cheeses, butter, cognac, and mineral water.
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