Ukraine imposes a complete ban on Russian imports in April 2022.

Context

In April 2022 Ukraine officially banned all imports of Russian goods, with Kyiv’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announcing “a complete termination of trade in goods with the aggressor state (Russia)”. Minister Svyrydenko went on to further explain that “[f]rom now on, no Russian Federation’s products will be able to be imported into the territory of our state.” The crucial context here is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and its continued occupation of, and conflict in, parts of the country.

Impact

Reuters reporting stated that trade had already largely ground to a halt since the invasion in February 2022, but also acknowledged that – prior to the outbreak of war – Ukraine’s imports of Russian goods were worth approximately US$6 billion per year. Analysis from The Observatory of Economic Complexity showed that Ukraine’s major imports from Russia included services ranging from travel, to business services and also transportation, in addition to energy products.

Responses  

i) Russian government and industry responses.

Russian energy industry exports responded to the war, and associated EU sanctions, with a pivot to Asian markets. During a visit by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in April 2022, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told press: “If there is, first of all, (Russian) fuel available at a discount, why shouldn’t I buy it? I need it for my people so we have already started purchasing.”

English language reporting does not record any official Russian government response to this move. However, as part of the Russia-Ukraine war, in July 2022 Russia agreed to allow exports of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea – only to then pull out of this deal a year later. Notably, some reports have since suggested that Russian firms have been exporting goods including wheat and barley from areas of occupied Ukraine – with destinations allegedly including Spain, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan.

(ii) Ukranian government and industry responses

Announcing this measure in April 2022, Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that “Such a step of Ukraine can serve as an example for our Western partners and stimulate them to strengthen sanctions against Russia, including the implementation of the energy embargo and isolation of all Russian banks.” This followed on from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who in March 2022 called for sympathy boycotts of Russian oil and other Western sanctions in response to the invasion, saying “[b]oycott imports to Russia – if they do not adhere to civilised rules, then they should not receive goods and services from civilisation – let the war feed them.” These appeals were reasonably successful, with multiple Western states imposing major coercive economic measures on Russia. For example, on a visit to Ukraine in early April 2022, then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told press that “[t]ogether with our partners, we (the UK) are going to ratchet up the economic pressure and we will continue to intensify, week by week, the sanctions on Russia”.

Status  

This case is ongoing at time of writing (September 2024) due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Reference list

European Council. n.a. “How the Russian invasion of Ukraine has further aggravated the global food crisis.” European Council. Available at: https://www.consilium. europa.eu/en/infographics/how-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-has-further-aggravated-the-global-food-crisis/

Kelly, L. 2022. “Ukraine bans all imports from Russia.” Reuters. April 10. Available at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-bans-all-imports-russia-2022-04-10/

OEC. n.a. “Russia/Ukraine Trade” OEC. Available at: https://oec.world/en/profile/ bilateral-country/rus/partner/ukr

Polityuk, P. and A. Prentice. 2022. “Ukraine’s president seeks international trade embargo on Russia.” Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-president-asks-military-aircraft-boycott-russian-oil-2022-03-07/

Savcuk, M. and M. Dudchenko. 2024. “How Russia Exports Ukrainian Grain As Its Own: An Investigation.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. June 22. Available at: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-occupation-grain-shipments/33004062.html

Schomberg, W. 2022. “UK’s Johnson tells Ukraine that Russia sanctions will ratchet up.” Reuters. April 10. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/business/energy/uks-johnson-tells-ukraine-that-russia-sanctions-will-ratchet-up-idUSL5N2W70D5/

S&P Global. 2022. “Russian foreign minister visits India as Moscow seeks alternative crude export markets.” S&P Global. April 2. Available at: https://www.spglobal.com/ commodityinsights/pt/market-insights/latest-news/oil/040222-russian-foreign-minister-visits-india-as-moscow-seeks-alternative-crude-export-markets