Putin instructed to expand the import of priority goods to Russia

On January 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government and the Bank of Russia to expand imports of priority goods, including those that have no domestic analogues.

"The Government of the Russian Federation, together with the Bank of Russia and the executive bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, will ensure that the following key tasks are solved in 2026: <...> changing the structure of imports of goods and services, including expanding imports of priority groups of goods and services," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.

It is specified that the expansion of imports includes labor-intensive goods and services, as well as technological solutions that have no domestic analogues.

What will the merchants say: Russia is among the three G20 countries with the highest trade revenues.

What exactly made it possible to achieve such results and what can it affect?

On December 15, Putin signed a law extending the parallel import mechanism and a number of other anti-sanctions measures for 2026. The law extends the mechanism, which has been in operation since May 2022, which allows the import of products without the approval of trademark owners.

On December 9, the State Duma adopted in the third reading a law extending parallel imports for 2026. The document states that the parallel import mechanism is being implemented as part of the implementation of priority measures to ensure the development of the Russian economy in the face of external prohibitions and restrictions of an economic nature.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.