Novorossiysk Customs and Rosselkhoznadzor seized and destroyed about 140 tons of tangerines that arrived at the port as Turkish: the labeling on the packaging showed that the fruit producer was the Republic of Cyprus. The Russian authorities reported this on July 8, 2026, and Sigmalive reported the news in Cyprus on July 9.

According to the phytosanitary certificates, Turkey was listed as the country of origin of the cargo. However, during the inspection of the containers, employees of the Novorossiysk Customs and the Southern Interregional Rosselkhoznadzor Administration found the marking of the Republic of Cyprus on the consumer packaging. The import of Cypriot agricultural products violates the Russian food embargo imposed by Presidential Decree No. 560 of August 6, 2014, so the entire shipment was declared prohibited, seized and destroyed.

Ivan Okorokov, Acting First Deputy head of the Novorossiysk Customs, said that the case demonstrates the close cooperation of customs officers with the Rosselkhoznadzor in detecting the substitution of the country of origin of imported goods, and the agency conducts control over the import of agricultural products on a systematic basis. An inspection is carried out upon delivery.

Why are Cypriot tangerines banned from being imported to Russia?

Moscow imposed a food embargo in August 2014 as a response to Western sanctions. The ban covers a wide range of agri—food products from the countries that imposed sanctions, including from all EU countries, and hence from the Republic of Cyprus. According to Russian legislation, products imported in circumvention of the embargo are subject to withdrawal from circulation and destruction.

The scheme with Turkish documents in Novorossiysk has been opened since May

The 140—ton shipment is not the first such case in recent months, and all of them pass through the Novorossiysk port. On May 11, 2026, more than 244 tons of Cypriot mandarins, declared as Turkish, were identified there. From May 19 to May 21, the Rosselkhoznadzor checked 27 shipments of citrus fruits with a total weight of 597.6 tons with the same scheme of substitution of origin. Later, the Southern Customs Administration reported on the seizure of a shipment of 842 tons. All the intercepted shipments were sent for destruction — the account of Cypriot citrus fruits, which have not reached Russian shelves since May, goes to hundreds of tons.

Will the Russian customs continue mass inspections of citrus fruits?

Judging by the statements of the departments, control over the supply of fruit and vegetable products through the southern ports will remain tight: each new batch from Turkey is checked for compliance with the actual labeling documents. At the same time, the scheme is revealed in a simple detail — the manufacturer’s label on consumer packaging, which suppliers do not have time or do not consider necessary to change. For Cypriot exporters, this means that the bypass route to the Russian market through Turkish documents is systematically closed at the port.

https://lenta.cy/v-rossii-unichtozhili-140-tonn-kiprskih-mandarinov-vvezjonnyh-pod-vidom-tureckih/