Big fish: EU has increased imports of Russian goods

There is a measurable gap between European officials' statements about Russia's economic isolation and actual actions. The European Union continues to increase imports from Russia in a number of ways, contrary to the declarations of politicians. Where did this growth come from and what are the changes in trade between Russia and Europe as a whole — in the Izvestia article.

Up and down

Europe increased the volume of purchases of Russian seafood by 25.5% in the first seven months of 2025.

The most popular items are fillets and fish meat (66% of the total demand), frozen products, processed fish (salted, smoked, dried), fresh and chilled fish, as well as crabs and squid.

The largest buyers in this category were Germany (35% of the total), the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and France.

At the same time, from January to July, the supply of medicines increased by 17.5% (YoY) for a total of 29.5 million euros, and in July alone it doubled compared to last year (by 8.7 million euros). The most popular products in this category are medicines, as well as vaccines and immunological preparations.

Most of these products were purchased by partners from Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland and the Netherlands.

Another non—sanctioned category is fertilizers. According to the results of the first half of the year, Russia increased supplies 1.5 times — by 1.2 billion euros, in physical terms — 3.25 million tons, according to Eurostat. The annual growth rate is +56%.

"This is how the indicators of a healthy trade turnover between the countries look, not limited by sanctions packages that harm the well—being of both sides," complains Daniil Ivanin, chief analyst at the VMT Consult analytical agency.

At the same time, along with the growth in some positions, there is a decrease in others. And the fall is sensitive. Thus, according to the results of the first seven months of the year, purchases of Russian oil decreased by 1.3 times (or by 2.9 billion euros). In July, imports fell by 35% to 318.8 million euros.

On the contrary, in July of this year Gazprom increased the volume of supplies to the EU with the help of Turkish Stream capacities — by 37% more than a month earlier and by 4.7% compared to July 2024.

Izvestia asked the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Economic Development to comment on the multiple increase in some positions, but at the time of publication they had not received a response.

A serious blow

The EU's trade with Russia has significantly suffered since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, concludes Olga Belenkaya, head of the Macroeconomic Analysis Department at Finam, based on data from Eurostat.

"The EU imposed various restrictions on the import and export of a number of goods, which led to a decrease in exports to Russia by 61% and imports from Russia by 89% between the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2025," she says.

According to the expert, 5 groups of goods (nickel, natural gas, fertilizers, gasoline, ferrous metallurgy) accounted for more than 60% of all EU imports from Russia. As a result of the restrictions imposed, imports for all these groups, except fertilizers, have sharply decreased since the beginning of 2022.

— As for the largest commodity groups of EU exports to Russia, in the period from the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2025, exports of four of these five groups (machinery, vehicles, electrical equipment and plastics) It has decreased significantly, with the exception of pharmaceutical products," concludes Belenkaya.

Insignificant streams

According to Alexander Firanchuk, a leading researcher at the International Laboratory for Foreign Trade Research at the Presidential Academy, the news about an increase in imports from Russia by tens of percent and even several times is extremely small.

— The trade flow of Russian pharmaceuticals to the EU amounted to only $20-30 million in the first half of the year. Changes in such flows, even by tens of percent, have no real significance. Russian exports of pharmaceutical products to the EU are negligible — they are two orders of magnitude lower than shipments in the opposite direction, the source estimates.

At the same time, he noted that it is critically important for Russia to maintain imports of medicines from the EU at the pre-sanctions level of $9.5 billion annually. "European supplies represent a key and so far stable channel for providing the Russian population with medicines. About half of drug consumption is accounted for by imports, 90% of which come from unfriendly countries, primarily from the EU, the expert notes.

Health is above all

We can confidently talk about a stable growth in the supply of pharmaceutical products to the EU, says Daniil Ivanin. According to Eurostat, for 11 months of 2024, the import of pharmaceutical products amounted to 38.8 million euros, which is 18% more than in 2023.

— There is every chance to increase the volume of sales of medicines abroad compared to last year. Explosive growth has been observed in individual months. As it was in November 2024 (2.2 times more yoy) or in July this year (2.3 times more yoy). In general, the trend is positive, especially since pharmaceutical products are not subject to sanctions," the analyst says.

A significant increase in purchases of medicines from Russia to Europe occurs in the second half of the year — on the eve of the traditional cold season, says Kirill Masliev, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Rudn University, founder of the Heroes Charitable Foundation.

— The consumption of vitamins, dietary supplements, medicines, and vaccines in Europe is at a very high level. This is a consequence of the trend towards self—care and biohacking, which is facilitated by an objective factor - the aging of the population. In the EU, 21.6% of residents are over 65 years of age (data for 2024). They are the ones at risk and the most vulnerable category of the population. So, about 14 thousand pensioners died this summer due to the heat alone, as a result of which the healthcare system is trying to extend the lives of its citizens as effectively as possible, including through proven funds from Russia, - says the interlocutor of Izvestia.