The Russian government has approved an expanded list of goods that are prohibited from importing from Ukraine into the Russian Federation. The corresponding document is published on a single portal of legal information.

Now the list includes corn starch, glucose, fructose, as well as medical products, among which are air ducts and pipes made of polyvinyl chloride, syringes, heating pads, bedding vessels and harnesses.

The list also includes goods of other categories, in particular, radiators and central heating boilers.

In addition, the list of products that are prohibited from exporting from Russia to Ukraine has been supplemented. Reclaimed paper and cardboard (waste paper) now fall into this category.

Another document the Russian government adjusted the list of Ukrainians against whom special economic measures are introduced. It included nine more persons, including officials and deputies of the Odessa City Council. Two more were expelled, now about 570 people appear on the list.

Note that the Ukrainian government has already announced its intention to expand individual sanctions against Russia.

Sanctions since 2015

The new restrictions are part of the ongoing sanctions confrontation between Moscow and Kiev since 2015. Recall that in Ukraine in the fall of 2015, the presidential decree “On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)” began to apply.

As part of the controversy that followed, Kiev repeatedly imposed sanctions against certain Russian individuals and imposed bans on the import of certain categories of goods. Moscow was forced to respond in a mirror.

The last stage of the confrontation was the extension by Ukraine of a ban on the supply of a wide range of Russian goods. These measures were approved in the summer of 2019 for a period up to December 31, 2020. Shortly before this, the Russian government extended its own pro-embargo, which extends to the United States, EU countries, and several other states, including Ukraine.

In addition, in the summer of 2019, a ban on the supply of coal and oil products from Russia to Ukraine began to apply.

  • Gas station in Kiev
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Sergii Kharchenko

At the same time, Moscow repeatedly pointed to the reciprocal nature of its actions in relation to Kiev. In particular, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev drew attention to this circumstance, who had previously stated that Russia was "forced to defend its interests."

In Ukraine, it was recognized that the current state of trade relations with Russia is causing significant damage to Kiev. The director of the economic policy department of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine Sergey Salivon in May 2019 indicated that the losses from the fall in trade volumes in Kiev were 13 times greater than in Moscow.

“Indeed, the losses are enormous, high-tech industries suffer from the severance of economic ties with Russia, because of this, the structure of exports and imports and the whole structure of the economy are changing,” the expert said then.

Later, the representative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the cabinet of ministers Andriy Gerus announced the impossibility of abandoning trade with Russia, comparing this step with a “shot in the leg”.

“It is important to balance”

Commenting on the new restrictions on the import of Ukrainian goods, State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik noted that Russia would have behaved strangely, ignoring the previous actions of Kiev.

“Since 2015, Ukraine has systematically introduced an embargo on our products. We protect our interests, while Ukraine refuses to be guided in its actions by sound logic, ”the parliamentarian said in an interview with RT.

According to the deputy, an objective analysis indicates that the economy of Ukraine, rather than Russia, suffers more from sanctions.

In turn, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, expressed hope that the new president of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, would like to normalize the sphere of economic relations with Russia.

However, according to the expert, this does not mean that Moscow should retreat from its position.

“In this situation, it is important to strike a balance so that there is no pseudo-indulgence from the Russian side. A solid and balanced attitude is needed. If the current Ukrainian authorities are interested in normalizing relations, then they should take concrete steps, ”Olenchenko believes.

He is confident that in this situation, Russia is ready to respond adequately.

“But if there is any complication in Russian-Ukrainian relations, we cannot disregard this and act to the detriment of ourselves,” the expert concluded.