Beer importers bypass duties through the EAEU
After Russia increased import duties on beer from unfriendly countries in September, importers found a new route through Belarus and Kazakhstan. These EAEU member countries keep the rate in the range of €0.018–0.04 per liter, while the tariff for supplies from the EU has increased to €1.5. The difference turned out to be so significant that some distributors reoriented logistics, arranging beer in neighboring countries and then importing it to Russia as products of the Customs Union.
Beer exports from Kazakhstan to Russia this year also increased by almost 1.5 times in value terms, to $6.4 million, and in the first seven months of 2024 it was estimated at almost $4.3 million. In volumes, Kazakhstan exported about 9.28 million liters to Russia in the first seven months of this year, 7.8 million liters in the same period last year, and volume growth in 2025 was 18%. The average price of a liter of beer, which is supplied from the republic to Russia, this year was $ 1.45, last year a liter cost an average of $1.81. (TASS)
The president of Opora Russia, Alexander Kalinin, sent a letter to Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, noting that such a scheme creates unequal conditions for Russian manufacturers and official importers who pay increased duties. According to the Chairman of the Commission “Support of Russia” on the production and turnover of the brewing industry Igor Khavskaya, the main channel was re-export of Belarus, where in Russia there is beer from Germany and the Czech Republic. A similar trend can be traced through Kazakhstan.
The situation is reminiscent of last year’s experience with sparkling wines: after the increase in import duties from foreign countries in 2024, the supply of “Belarusian” champagne increased by more than 14 times. Now a similar scenario is developing in the beer market. According to Khavsky, identical foreign beer imported directly and through the EAEU differs in shelf price by about 100 rubles per liter. This difference makes Russian premium varieties less competitive, and official distributors more vulnerable.
Opora Russia proposes to compensate duties on the import of goods through the EAEU or introduce stricter control over the movement of products between the countries of the union. However, as Andrey Toryannikov, partner of the a.t.Legal law company, notes, the decision is within the competence of the EEC Council, and the Ministry of Finance cannot eliminate the “loophole” on its own. The situation can be changed only at the level of the unified customs regulation.
Against the background of these disputes, the Russian beer market continues to decline: retail sales fell by 17.9% over the year, and the share of imported products decreased to 3%. But it is in this small segment that the most active struggle is currently underway — for every liter, for every supply channel and for equal conditions of competition between Russian and “re-export” brands.
