The expert named the reasons for the decrease in parallel imports

Alexander Degtyarev, a member of the Public Council at the Federal Customs Service (FCS) of the Russian Federation, commented to Izvestia on the current situation with parallel imports in Russia. According to him, the decrease in parallel imports is a direct result of the success of import substitution and the growth of supplies from friendly countries.

"According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, parallel imports fell from $4 billion per month in 2024 to an average of $2 billion per month in 2025. This is not only an indicator, but also a direct consequence of the success of import substitution," Degtyarev stated.

He also noted that the growth of domestic production of medical devices, machine tools and machine-building products is estimated at tens of percent. In addition, the import of passenger cars from friendly countries has increased by almost 15 times compared to 2022.

According to the expert, the government's extension of the parallel import mechanism for 2026 is a balanced decision that allows balancing supply and demand in the consumer market and restraining prices.

"This is a signal of the predictability of business rules and an opportunity to plan medium—term supplies and production development," Degtyarev stressed.

However, according to him, the exclusion of some goods from the list of parallel imports was premature, which led to unjustified price increases in some segments. At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is successfully managing to maintain a balance of supply and demand in order to avoid shortages of goods, especially in industries where there is almost no Russian production, such as electronics, he said.

Read more about the trend of a consistent decline in parallel imports to Russia in the Izvestia article.

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