Reasons for the reduction in parallel import volumes have been named

The parallel import mechanism, which once became an anti-sanction panacea, a real salvation for the Russian consumer market, is clearly losing its meaning in the eyes of the state today. In May, the volume of goods imported with its help amounted to $2.3 billion - this is more than three times less than at the peak of deliveries in 2022. Officials of the Ministry of Industry and Trade attribute the situation to two factors - the development of domestic production and the establishment of legal supply channels.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade not only observes a steady trend towards a decrease in the volume of products imported via parallel imports (PI), but also supports it, noted Deputy Minister Roman Chekushev. "We will enter the trajectory of normal legal relations with foreign copyright holders," he added. As Minister Anton Alikhanov explained earlier, the demand for imported goods in Russia is declining (in particular, in the clothing, footwear and electronics segments), since domestic goods and brands are appearing on the market that "find recognition" among citizens. In addition, "the structure of supplies is changing, more alternative products are being supplied from friendly countries."

According to Alikhanov, in 2026 the government plans a "targeted" update of the list of goods whose import is permitted under the PI. It will "definitely" reduce the list, doing so carefully so as not to allow a shortage of certain items. The list was last revised in April of this year: laptops of a number of brands, laser printers, and some types of cosmetics were excluded from it. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there are currently over 800 domestic manufacturers of cosmetics and perfumes in the Russian Federation.

The PI mechanism — importing goods into the country without the consent of the manufacturer or copyright holder — has been in effect since the spring of 2022. The list initially consisted of cars of departed Western brands and spare parts for them, consumer electronics, mobile phones, musical instruments, cameras, furniture, and bed linen. The problem was in the low diversification, in that the PI covered, first of all, the sphere of household consumption, and the domestic industry had very little benefit from it. Experts noted that it is much more difficult to put the import of equipment and technologies on “parallel” rails. And among the disadvantages that are critical for the average consumer, they highlighted the lack of the usual after-sales service support from the manufacturer, the inability to provide a guarantee, repair, and replacement of purchased goods. Well, the price, as a rule, turned out to be 10-20% higher than with direct import — which can be explained by the increase in logistics costs.

The dynamics of the reduction in average monthly volumes of PI over the past four years speaks for itself: in 2022 they amounted to $7.5 billion, in 2023 - $6.2 billion, in 2024 - $4.8 billion, now - $2.5 billion. By the way, for comparison, in April of this year, $22.6 billion worth of imported products were imported to Russia. The volume of car imports under PI for January-May collapsed year-on-year by 74%, to 19 thousand units. In total, 311.8 thousand cars entered the Russian Federation through the countries of the former USSR (mainly through Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) in 3.5 years.

"The need for parallel imports has essentially disappeared, since it has been possible to establish legal supplies of almost the entire required range of goods," says Alexey Zubets, director of the Center for Social Economics Research. "For example, spare parts for trucks, which were previously exported from Europe in "gardens," are now officially purchased in China. These supplies are carried out with the payment of all taxes, and are controlled partly by the state, partly by large companies."

As for the problem of foreign trade settlements, it is also largely solved today by means of actual barter. For example, Zubets explains, when Russian oil goes to China, the currency paid for it remains there: there are no cross-border payments and. Accordingly, there is no threat of secondary sanctions for them. With this money, importers buy all the goods they need in China, which are then sent to the Russian Federation.

"On the one hand, the May figure of $2.3 billion indicates a decrease in parallel import volumes, and on the other hand, it indicates important shifts," says Artur Leer, Vice President of the Association of Exporters and Importers (AEI). "Firstly, domestic production has stepped forward. This is especially noticeable in the sphere of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG): those niches that were previously filled with products imported using the parallel import mechanism are now being confidently developed by entrepreneurs in the Russian Federation. Secondly, where previously it was necessary to use complex PI schemes, direct or simpler import channels have now been established - with the same functionality and quality, but without the risks of sanctions."

According to Leer, the decrease in PI volumes is not an indicator of a deficit, but the result of redistribution: some products are now simply delivered via other logistics routes. As for the issue of payments, Russian businesses have developed sustainable and effective schemes to date.