Parallel import from Russia to avoid sanctions

No time to read?
Get a summary

Buy the latest iPhone model at: Russia has no value. On the contrary officially the brand no longer works in the country and therefore it does not sell its products in a standard way, it can be found in many electronics stores, there is no need to go somewhere hidden behind a fake wall or a luxury place for the Moscow jet set. Of course, whoever wants to indulge has to pay up to 1,600 euros (700 euros more than in Spain) and this means the shop will charge for all the extra miles the device has to do. At any establishment in Moscow, the clerk states that he does not know where it came from, but assures him that he has “everything one would want from a new product and the guarantee” except “access to some applications for the iPhone”.

The case of the popular Apple phone is no exception. Although there are stores disappearing from shopping centers due to the flights of companies such as Zara and Lego, new stores same products opened under similar designsBased on Russian law.

Thanks to a standard approved in 2022, Moscow allows the import of products without the express permission of the manufacturer or brand owner. That is why in the Russian market you can buy Mercedes cars, clothes from Zara or furniture from Ikea. This picaresque has even reached the cinema, where some movie theaters are showing pirated versions of ‘Batman’ or ‘Avatar 2’ and many others, the latest to arrive sporadically in the Eurasian country.

Turkey and Iran

The list of brands involved in parallel imports is not at all haphazard, it is included in an official list made by the Government of Russia and ensures that companies in the country can import purchased products provided they have been obtained legally in the country of origin and the company has left the Russian market. One of the most important nodes for these imports TurkeyAlthough Iran is not the only one, as it occupies an important place.

This parallel trade does not go unnoticed by the West. As Vladislav Inozemtsev, director of the Post-Industrial Societies Research Center, explains, “Turkey has temporarily stopped the smuggling of these products due to American pressure.” But now traffic works unlimitedBecause of Istanbul’s interest in renewing the grain agreement, Moscow initially refused to do so. “As of today, there is no problem for Russia not being able to use Turkey as a waypoint for imports,” the analyst said. Thanks to the grain deal, Ankara can justify its permissiveness with parallel imports.

But this formula is not a panacea and cannot meet all the needs of the Russian people. Medical sources that prefer to remain anonymous, medicines rate of some rare diseases do not reach Russia through official channels. They also point out that some chemicals used for research come in droppers, which halts or slows down a significant portion of the research. Sanctions in the aviation market are also a problem. In addition to the loss of many connections worldwide, the lack of parts has forced Russian companies to continue the practice of reusing used aircraft parts as spare parts for their aircraft.

Belarusian gate

As early as 2014, Russia was sanctioned for its annexation of the Crimean peninsula, recognized by the international community as part of Ukraine, and the restrictions affected some food from the EU. However, there is A safe behavior that involves importing Belarusian companies into Belarus under their labels and reselling them to Russia. This phenomenon is widely known among the same Russian citizens, who very much appreciate oysters and salmon from “Belarus”, a landlocked country.

Currently, Minsk has expanded its offer and is selling excursions to its territory for Russian tourists so that they can shop at Western brand stores that have left Russia but continue to operate in Belarus – which they can access using their national passport, the equivalent of the DNI. . . One of the highlights of the promotional texts is the possibility to receive MasterCard or Visa credit cards working outside of Russia. What’s currently released in Russia doesn’t work in much of the world due to the Eurasian country being removed from the Swift system.

No time to read?
Get a summary
Previous Article

UFC fighter Chimaev says he fights for money, not championship belt

Next Article

Ukraine – Russia war: live latest news | Zelensky visited the Bakhmut front, where the Russian forces were losing strength