Russia shifts trout imports as Armenian supply restrictions bite

Russia has increased fish imports from other countries to replace supplies previously coming from Armenia, Sergei Dankvert, the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), said in an interview with TASS.

“We understood that we would have to introduce restrictions. To counterbalance this, we opened supplies from other countries. For example, regarding trout supplies, we have shifted toward Iran and Türkiye,” Dankvert noted on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“In general, the more suppliers we have, the easier it is for us to operate. If we depend on just one source, shortages of certain products may arise. Now this is not the case; we have a wide choice,” he added.

Russia has tightened restrictions on live fish and seafood imports from Armenia over alleged safety violations found during inspections, allowing shipments only from two Armenian companies.

These measures stem from Rosselkhoznadzor inspections of Armenian fish processing plants and trout farms conducted in late May 2026, which found unsatisfactory results at most facilities, with roughly half of the companies declining to participate.

The agency cited issues such as non-compliance with veterinary standards and prior concerns over counterfeit or mislabeled fish products, including rainbow trout.

This action fits into a broader pattern of escalating Russian trade controls on various Armenian agricultural goods and beverages amid strained bilateral relations linked to Armenia’s foreign policy shifts toward the EU.

By Jeyhun Aghazada