In a move linked to food safety concerns amid rising tensions between the two countries, Russia reportedly banned the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Armenia. Russia's agricultural watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, communicated this action to the Armenian government's Food Safety Inspectorate in a letter dated July 4. At least two Armenian media outlets publicized the information late on July 17.

The letter detailed that from April through early June, Russian authorities identified eight instances where Armenian tomatoes and apples exceeded the maximum residue levels of pesticides allowed in Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states.

Rosselkhoznadzor’s deputy chief, Anton Karmazin, who signed the letter, noted that Armenia was informed of these violations on June 5 but did not commit to investigating them. Consequently, Armenia is required to ‘suspend’ agricultural exports from July 15 until ‘meaningful measures’ are taken to address these concerns.

Karmazin included an 18-page list of Armenian exporters affected by the ban. However, this list has not yet been leaked to Armenian media or otherwise made public.