A ban has been imposed on the import of fruits and vegetables from Armenia to Russia.

Temporary restrictions on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, and strawberries have been imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor since May 30.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Rosselkhoznadzor imposed temporary restrictions on the import of flowers from Armenia starting May 22, 2026. The Armenian Ministry of Economy stated that they had not received official notification of the restrictions and could not specify the duration of the restrictions. Rospotrebnadzor explained the suspension of imports of all batches of Armenian mineral water "Jermuk" to Russia as a "temporary sanitary measure" due to the detected excess of chemical substances; 37 million bottles were banned from sale. Rosselkhoznadzor also announced a ban on the import of certain cognacs and wines to Russia. Pashinyan described such bans as common practice, while opposition representatives saw political overtones in Russia's actions. Rosselkhoznadzor, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), announced that effective May 30, 2026, will impose temporary restrictions on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green vegetables, and strawberries originating and shipped from Armenia until an appropriate algorithm for ensuring the safety of shipped products is developed. The decision was made due to the increasing number of violations in the supply of Armenian fruit and vegetable products to Russia and to ensure phytosanitary safety. The current situation poses a threat to the phytosanitary status of the country. Armenia also failed to take appropriate measures to address previously identified violations.

From May 21 to May 27, 2026, Rosselkhoznadzor conducted an inspection of Armenian enterprises, during which a number of violations were identified, namely the presence of quarantine facilities for EAEU member states in greenhouse complexes. This was confirmed by systematic detections of these facilities during the import of Armenian fruit and vegetable products – 181 cases in 2026, the agency added.

Russia imposed restrictions on the import of flowers and mineral water as Armenian political forces prepare for parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7. Meanwhile, the European Political Community Summit and the Armenia-EU Summit were held in Yerevan in early May. In this regard, Russian pro-government media accused Armenia of "betrayal" and an anti-Russian course, and Vladimir Putin noted that the Armenian authorities should decide as soon as possible on whether to join the EU or the EAEU. Putin previously stated that combining Armenia's course toward rapprochement with the EU and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union is "impossible by definition," and noted that Moscow "would like" all pro-Russian political forces to participate in the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

The June parliamentary elections in Armenia will effectively be a referendum on the future of Nikol Pashinyan's government and the country's foreign policy. At stake is the preservation of power by the current team or its transition to the opposition, which promises to reconsider the key decisions of recent years, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia". Samvel Karapetyan's "Strong Armenia", along with Robert Kocharyan's "Armenia" bloc and Gagik Tsarukyan's "Prosperous Armenia" party, is one of the most pro-Russian parties in the parliamentary elections of Armenia. The Kremlinis betting on Karapetyan, but by law he cannot participate in the elections, Armenian political scientists pointed out earlier.

As a reminder, in August 2025, hundreds of trucks carrying grapes, plums, and peaches were not allowed into Russia at the Upper Lars checkpoint and were forced to return to Armenia. This issue is political in nature, said opposition MP Garnik Danielyan.