Russia is contemplating the imposition of protective tariffs on sporting goods imported into the country from “unfriendly countries,” according to Dmitry Kolobov, head of the Department of Important Social Goods at the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Affected countries, in the Russian government’s view, are those that it says “commit unfriendly actions against Russia, Russian companies and citizens.” Originally published in May 2021, the list was vastly expanded after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. It currently includes 49 countries, including all G7 countries, 27 European Union member states, and all NATO members except Turkey.
In December, the Russian government imposed a 35 percent protective tariff on a wide range of products from unfriendly countries, including sporting rifles. In an explanation of the decree, the government said the measure did not apply to products with which the country could not fully satisfy the demand of its population.
In a controversial move, the Russian government added sporting goods to the list of products approved for parallel import – a regulation adopted by Russian authorities in May 2022 to counter Western sanctions, allowing the import of non-counterfeit goods without the permission of the brand owner. The Ministry said it is carefully assessing the list of products allowed for parallel import in order not to “hurt Russian companies, which are now actively working to provide the market with domestic goods that are not inferior either in price or in terms of quality to imported products.” Under the parallel import schemes, Russian companies import various goods to Russia via third countries, primarily Turkey, Kazakhstan and China. This means that products delivered to the country in such a way would not be subjected to protective import duties. During the past few months, Russian retailers have been urging the authorities to expand the list of goods allowed for parallel import in order to fill the gaps on the shelves after the departure of Western brands.
