Estonia's trade with Russia has dwindled since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but imports of food products have continued alongside rare earth metals.
Tespi, a wholesale warehouse store, imports Russian and Belarusian food products that are not subject to sanctions into Estonia. Some of these products are also sold by other grocery stores. The retailers are reluctant to discuss Russian goods.
Apart from certain chemicals and rare earth metals, for which Estonia sought special permission from the European Union to supply Silmet, food products now account for most imports from Russia to Estonia. In August, for example, imports of Russian food products and animal products totaled around €1 million, although last year there were months when the figure reached €3 million. Imports have declined since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but not significantly.
"The fluctuations in food import figures are due to the size of the shipments transported by sea," said Ursula Riimaa, deputy director general for customs at the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA).
Overall, however, little remains of Estonia's trade relations with Russia.
"Trade with Russia has changed significantly, both in terms of imports and exports. Before the war, Estonia imported approximately €2.2 billion worth of goods from Russia. In the first eight months of this year, imports totaled around €40 million. We're talking about volumes that have fallen more than tenfold," Riimaa said.
The European Union's sanctions policy has primarily targeted sectors of the Russian economy that fuel its war machine, such as exports of petroleum products and mineral resources. Product categories that generate less revenue for Russia have so far largely been excluded from the restrictions.
"Food products and medical supplies have been the two main categories of goods that have largely remained exempt from sanctions so far. However, certain food products classified as luxury goods are subject to restrictions on both imports from and exports to Russia," said Kadri Elias-Hindoalla, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' sanctions department.
Compared with prewar levels, EU exports to Russia have fallen by 60 percent, while imports have dropped by 90 percent. Additional restrictions are being introduced with each new sanctions package.
The most significant measure set to take effect next year is a restriction on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which several European countries continue to purchase from Russia.
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