Russia Creates a food ban on all imports from the West
Offline It seems that this embargo is causing mixed reactions. Some Russians are saying that most food sources can be found locally and others are saying otherwise :
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28687172
Russia hits West with food import ban in sanctions row
Russia is imposing a "full embargo" on food imports from the EU, US and some other Western countries, in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said it would include fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy imports.
Australia, Canada and Norway are also affected.
Elsewhere, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Ukraine's freedom and future were "under attack," promising support against Russian "aggression".
The latest developments come during heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine, where heavy shelling was reported in the eastern rebel stronghold of Donetsk on Thursday.
Russian voices: Yuri Alexandrov, St Petersburg
I'd being living in the UK with my family for quite a while, but we decided to go back to Russia some time ago. These sanctions mean not much at all. Most day-to-day food can be sourced locally and most of the time we buy locally produced meat and vegetables anyway.
I would probably miss milk products from Finland but it's not the end of the world. We used to have quality milk from local factories.
I really hope those sanctions show to Europe that Russia and Western Europe have much more in common rather than our overseas friend, the US.
Russian embargo: 'It's not the end of the world'
Pro-Russian separatists have shot down a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet near Yenakiieve, in Donetsk region, Ukrainian "Anti-Terrorism Operation" spokesperson Olexiy Dmytrashkivskyi told the BBC.
An airman managed to eject and is currently being sought, he added.
Airspace ban
In addition to the food imports embargo, Russia is banning Ukrainian airlines from transit across its territory, Mr Medvedev said in televised comments to the government.
The Russian government is also considering banning transit flights for EU and US airlines in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine, he said.
Barring airlines from Siberian airspace would significantly increase costs and flying time for many jets bound for Asian destinations.
EU food exports to Russia last year were worth 11.8bn euros (£9bn; $15.8bn) while US food exports to Russia were worth 972m euros (£772m; $1.3bn).
1 | Fruit | 1,076m euros ($803m) |
2 | Cheese | 985m euros ($735m) |
3 | Pork | 969m euros ($723m) |
4 | Vegetables | 769m euros ($574m) |
5 | Spirits | 725m euros ($541m) |
6 | Wine | 597m euros ($445m) |
7 | Bakery goods & pasta | 575m euros ($429m) |
8 | Other unspecified foods | 496m euros ($370m) |
9 | Pet food | 483m euros ($360m) |
10 | Offal and other meats | 460m euros ($344m) |
Russia was the EU's second-biggest market for food exports (10% of total), after the US (13%).
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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The black market will have a field day. Putin will make billions.
Russia's just telling all the countries that aren't stupid enough to hit them with sanctions that this is their golden opportunity to fill in the gaps. Countries in South America and Asia stand to gain a fair bit from this, while North America and Europe lose a lucrative market. Everyone involved in this stupidity is losing, while everyone else makes a killing on the gaps being opened in the economies. It's pretty ridiculous.
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