New Names Added To Russia’s Food Restraint List

As a kid I had this friend who was usually a happy-go-lucky chap but when he got into feuds, they were ugly. To the extent that if the rest of us – his friends – spoke to his “enemies”, he’d break all the gifts we’d given him. Who knew that that friend of mine would grow up to be the Russian Prime Minister!

The Russian ban on all Western food products has been in the spotlight lately. But according to recent bulletins, the country has extended its list of countries subject to a food import ban in retaliation for Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

Enemy List Extended

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the ban would now apply to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Albania and Montenegro. “From now on, the list – which already includes the EU, Australia, Canada, Norway and the US, and prohibits the supplies of some agricultural products from these countries since last August – has been extended to Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein and, subject to special conditions, Ukraine,” he said, adding that these countries had recently supported the EU’s extended sanctions against Russia.

“These countries explained their decision to prolong anti-Russian sanctions by the fact that they are obliged to do so under some sorts of agreements with the EU, but this position is only partly true,” said Medvedev, “a number of states that have similar agreements with the EU haven’t joined the sanctions against Russia, so that was a conscious choice, which means their readiness to a response from our part”.

He said Ukraine would be added in 2016 if an economic agreement between Kiev and the European Union came into force.

What all has been banned?

The ban includes meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables.

More Slash & Burn

Russian authorities have also started burning Dutch flowers, saying they pose a safety risk because they may be infected with pests.

But critics say Russia wants to take revenge on the Netherlands over its handling of the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over rebel-held eastern Ukraine last year.

Civic Retaliation

The bulldozing of tonnes of Western-produced cheese and other foodstuffs has angered anti-poverty campaigners.

The country began destroying banned produce earlier this month, steamrollering fruit and burning boxes of bacon. Critics say it should be used to feed the poor and hungry. Mr Medvedev said on Wednesday that the counter-sanctions had given domestic agriculture a significant boost and had not caused shortages, according to Rossiya 24.

The Kremlin says food cannot be given away because it could be unsafe.

In other news, Russians have never been more thankful for the fact that Vodka is their own produce.