Russia has denied that the recent introduction of restrictions on some Georgian beverages were politically motivated; Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described them as routine quality-control measures.
Russia previously banned Georgian wine in 2006, citing health concerns, and later imposed restrictions on Georgian mineral water, including Borjomi and Nabeghlavi. Georgian officials at the time described the measures as politically motivated. In 2019, Moscow again threatened economic measures against Georgia, amid anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi.
At a briefing on Wednesday, Zakharova responded to a question from Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, a UK-sanctioned figure who asked the question on behalf of Tao News, about the restrictions on Georgian drinks.
‘This is not a matter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is a matter for Rospotrebnadzor’, Zakharova said, referring to Russia’s consumer protection watchdog.
She said the agency was responsible for checking whether products met Russia’s safety requirements and preventing the import of products from manufacturers it considered dishonest.
‘The restrictions introduced are targeted. We see how an absolutely routine procedure is being turned into some kind of political factor, with people speculating on this topic. There is no political subtext’, Zakharova said.
She added that Russia continued to import products from dozens of Georgian companies and that violations had been identified at only several enterprises. The others, she said, continued to operate in the Russian market, which she described as a priority for Georgia.
On 10 October, it emerged that Russia had temporarily suspended the import and sale of some alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from several Georgian producers.
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The affected products include wine from Teliani Valley, Tbilvino, and Wine Man; wine and brandy from Askaneli Brothers; beer from the Georgian Beer Company; Coca-Cola produced in Georgia; and Nabeglavi mineral water, produced by Healthy Water.
Russia has also introduced wide-reaching import restrictions on Armenian goods in recent years. In a similar vein to the Georgia case, Moscow has claimed they are for quality and safety reasons, while others allege they are politically motivated amid faltering Russia-Armenia relations.
Kobakhidze responds to Russia’s demands
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze appointed Giorgi Zurabashvili as his special representative for relations with Russia. The post had been vacant since December 2025.
The Diplomatic Society of Georgia said the appointment could signal a move towards restoring diplomatic ties. It also warned that expanding Zurabashvili’s mandate to include conflict resolution risked undermining the Geneva International Discussions and Georgia’s efforts to keep the conflict on the international agenda.
At the same briefing, Kobakhidze responded to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry that Moscow continued to require Georgia to provide guarantees of the non-use of force.
Kobakhidze said Georgia could not sign an agreement with Abkhazia or South Ossetia because doing so would imply recognition of the two entities as states.
‘It is impossible, because we cannot recognise the so-called states in any way or form — the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia cannot be recognised by us, even indirectly. Consequently, no agreement can be signed with them. Naturally, this will be the position expressed by the special representative’, Kobakhidze said.
The non-use of force is one of the key issues discussed at the Geneva International Discussions.
Georgia made a unilateral pledge not to use force in 2010 and has repeatedly made unilateral commitments to non-aggression, including at the UN and the EU Parliament, and before all 27 EU member states when signing its Association Agreement with the EU.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.