Russia extends cargo transport restrictions to Estonia

Russia has expanded its restrictions on international road freight transport to include Estonia, extending a ban on the transportation of goods that had previously been exempt from measures imposed on what Moscow designates as “unfriendly” countries.

The decision was approved by the Russian government on July 16 and entered into force on July 19, 2026, Interfax reports.

The ban on road freight transport across Russian territory was originally introduced under Government Resolution No. 1728 of September 30, 2022. It applies to carriers from European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine.

At the same time, the government established a number of exemptions under which certain categories of goods could continue to be transported despite the restrictions. However, those exemptions did not apply to freight carriers from Moldova and Poland. Estonia has now been added to that list.

The list of goods permitted for transportation by trucking companies from “unfriendly” countries has also been revised, although those changes will take effect in one month. Vegetables, fruits and nuts, prepared products made from flour or milk, and flour-based confectionery products (groups 07, 08 and 19 of the EAEU Commodity Nomenclature) have been removed from the exemption list.

Carriers from “unfriendly” countries — with the exception of those from Moldova, Poland and Estonia — will still be allowed to transport a range of goods by road, including watches, musical instruments, glass and ceramic products, protein substances and modified starches, monocarboxylic fatty acids and acid oils, various cleaning products, natural shellac, gums and resins, confectionery products not containing cocoa, meat and meat by-products, fish and seafood, processed meat and seafood products, flour and cereals, dairy products, eggs, honey, other animal products, as well as live trees and other plants.

By Jeyhun Aghazada