The L'Etoile retail chain imported French and Italian cosmetics via Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus. In neighboring countries, the goods had already obtained EAEU goods status, but Domodedovo Customs nevertheless assessed additional increased duties, and the Moscow Region Arbitration Court upheld the decision. If you import goods via union neighbors, this dispute affects you as well. During the same week, more than 1,700 trucks were turned back in the Urals due to the SPOT QR code, river border crossings on the Amur began closing until freeze-up, and Kazakhstan will prioritize containers right after emergency and military transports starting December 20.
Customs assessed additional duty on cosmetics imported via Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus
The dispute was heard under case No. A41-41366/2026 between Domodedovo Customs and Alkor & Co LLC, operator of the L'Etoile retail chain. The company imported cosmetics and perfumes into Russia from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The goods were first cleared for release in Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus, and then transported to Russia as union goods. Customs assessed additional higher duties under Decree No. 2240 for goods originating from unfriendly countries.
The court ruled that the country of origin and the date of import into Russia are what matters. The court deemed the 2023 FCS letter stating that additional payment was not required in such cases to be merely informational. The company prevailed in one aspect: customs failed to substantiate the quantity and weight of the goods, and the court ordered a recalculation of the payment. This is a first-instance ruling and is subject to appeal. China is not classified as an unfriendly country, so the increased duty under Decree No. 2240 is not assessed on Chinese goods. However, the court's rationale will also apply to other measures tied to the country of origin, such as anti-dumping duties on tires.
The court did not evaluate the legality of the scheme itself; the dispute concerned only the duty amount. Our position is simpler. We do not run cargo through front companies in other EAEU countries, as we noted in our breakdown of white delivery vs. cargo. A customs representative bears joint and several liability with the declarant before customs, and we do not take on such risks merely to save on duties. The duty is determined by the country of manufacture, and routing through neighbors does not alter it. That is why we verify the country of origin while the goods are still at the warehouse in China. When part of a garment shipment in Guangzhou lacked tags indicating country of origin and fabric composition, we suspended shipping and applied labeling compliant with TR CU 017/2011 on site. The entire delivery took 26 days, and customs cleared the shipment without requests or inspections.
Before shipping in November, check four things: the country of origin on the label and in the invoice, a valid SPOT QR code for trucks carrying goods from EAEU countries, a border crossing that will be operating when the cargo arrives at the border, and an electronic waybill instead of a paper one.
Who is unaffected by the L'Etoile case and SPOT inspections
If you ship Chinese cargo by sea to Vladivostok or Novorossiysk and declare it in Russia, the L'Etoile case does not affect you. SPOT inspects trucks carrying goods from EAEU countries, not containers arriving by sea. The closure of river crossings on the Amur only affects those shipping through Blagoveshchensk, Poyarkovo, and Amurzet. For those importing goods from a Belarusian supplier across the Russian-Belarusian border, the SPOT security deposit is not applicable until June 30, 2027. However, fines for paper waybills, the draft law on vessel age, and rising road drayage tariffs affect sea imports as well.
Over 1,700 trucks turned back in the Urals due to SPOT QR code; Belarus granted deferral until summer 2027
Since the launch of SPOT on June 1, 2026, the Ural Customs Directorate has inspected 28,000 trucks carrying commercial cargo from EAEU countries. More than 1,700 of them were returned to Kazakhstan without unloading because the QR code was missing or invalid. Viktor Amanov, Deputy Head of the Directorate, cited these figures at the Translogistica Ural forum, with Rossiyskaya Gazeta being the first to report them. Code verification takes 3–6 minutes.
The most costly scenario is when the driver clears customs but is turned away at border control. The security deposit has already been charged by that point, and refunding it via the tax authority can take up to three months. Thus, an error in the code costs you both the trip and funds frozen for up to three months.
For imports from Belarus, the government extended the exemption from the security deposit. Decree No. 1424 of October 30 postponed the deadline from October 31, 2026, to June 30, 2027, effective November 1. The exemption applies if the supplier is registered in Belarus and the goods move across the Russian-Belarusian border section. According to Ministry of Finance data cited by the Kommersant newspaper, SPOT generated an additional 34 billion rubles for the budget in its first three months.
If you purchase goods from a supplier in Kazakhstan or another union member state, we advise verifying the QR code against the CMR and invoice before the truck leaves the warehouse. A truck with a code error will be turned back to the Kazakh side, adding a return trip to your delivery timeline.
River border crossings on the Amur are closing until freeze-up
According to Rosgranstroy, freight operations at the Blagoveshchensk checkpoint ran until November 1. From November 2, state control has been suspended until freeze-up. At Poyarkovo, section No. 1 operates until November 4, section No. 2 through November 5, and Amurzet through November 3.
If your shipment was routed via Heihe and is still on the Chinese bank, it will have to be routed via a land border crossing. Check with your supplier or with us to see how many days this will add before the cargo gets stuck in a queue. A similar pause awaits river crossings in spring during the ice run.
Zabaikalsk to receive second 1435 mm track in 2027
On October 28, the Federation Council ratified an agreement between Russia and China regarding a second 1435 mm standard gauge main track on the Zabaikalsk — Manzhouli section. The Russian side will complete work by late 2026, the Chinese side in early 2027, and the track will be operational in 2027. By 2030, the Zabaikalsk checkpoint will be able to handle a third more cargo.
Rail freight transport between Russia and China is already growing. In 2025, nearly 187 million tons were transported by rail (+6.3%), and over 146 million tons in January — September 2026, up almost 5% year-on-year. On October 30 in Beijing, the heads of Russian Railways and China Railway signed a protocol: border stations must accept more trainsets, and processing will go paperless. The EEC reported that trial shipments using electronic waybills are already underway via Grodekovo — Suifenhe, carrying coal, fertilizers, and consumer goods. We believe that queues in Zabaikalsk will not subside before the second track opens, so until 2027 we advise factoring in buffer time at rail border crossings.
Kazakhstan elevates containers and transit in application queue from December 20
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan introduced application queue priorities for railway sections lacking sufficient capacity for all traffic. The procedure will take effect on December 20. Emergency recovery, special, and military shipments come first, followed immediately by containers across all transport types and international transit. Export commodities rank second to last.
Within each priority tier, capacity is distributed proportionally to applications, with up to 5% per tier kept in reserve for late filings. This benefits container trains from China to Russia via Kazakhstan: at bottlenecks, they no longer yield to coal and ore. If you are scheduling a rail shipment via Dostyk or Altynkol for late December, submit your application during the regular planning window without relying on the reserve.
Anti-dumping duty on Chinese truck tires extended through February 13, 2027
By Decision No. 137 of October 27, the EEC Board extended the anti-dumping duty on truck tires from China under FEA CN codes 4011 20 100 0 and 4011 20 900 0. Previously set to expire on November 13, 2026, it is now valid through February 13, 2027. Rates range from 14.79% to 35.35% of the customs value, depending on the manufacturer. The duty was maintained pending a sunset review initiated in November 2025 upon petitions from Nizhnekamsk Truck Tire Plant, Cordiant, Omskshina, and the Belshina holding. If you import tires, factor this into calculations for early 2027 shipments as well. Whether the duty is extended further will depend on the investigation's outcome.
Fines for paper waybills to start March 1, 2027
Electronic transport documents have been mandatory since September 1, 2026, but fines for paper waybills will not be levied until March 1, 2027. Polina Davydova, head of the Digital Transport and Logistics Association, stated at Kazan Digital Week that over 73 million documents were processed via GIS EPD during the first two months of the mandatory regime. Across the entire voluntary period from 2022, only 29 million were issued. The system has reached 10 million documents per week, with freight forwarding documents accounting for about 30%.
There are four months before penalties take effect—ample time to vet contractors. If even one carrier in your supply chain operates on paper, by March you will face either finding a replacement or paying a fine. We recommend confirming this with every drayage carrier moving cargo out of the port as early as November rather than waiting until February.
Ministry of Transport plans to ban vessels over 40 and 50 years old from ports
The Ministry of Transport submitted a draft bill for public discussion regarding vessel age. Vessels older than 50 years under the Russian flag and older than 40 years under foreign flags will be barred from Russian ports. Foreign vessels over 30 years old will have to certify compliance with safety standards annually. Under the draft, the law will come into effect 180 days after publication; additional requirements will apply to shipowners, carriers, and terminal operators.
More than 70% of Russia's foreign trade freight turnover travels by sea, and over 80% of exports. For now, this is a draft rather than law. However, if you book freight with a small shipping line operating older tonnage, ask for the vessel's age now. We believe this question should be raised with every booking to Vladivostok and Novorossiysk.
Asia — Europe rates stall, containerized imports up 17%
The composite Drewry WCI index fell 3% on October 29 to $4,429 per 40ft container, driven primarily by transpacific routes. Shanghai — Rotterdam rose 1% to $3,686, while Shanghai — Genoa remained unchanged at $4,151. On the Asia — Europe lane, 8 sailings were canceled this week and 4 next week; Drewry expects rates to remain stable. Sixty-two vessels transited the Suez Canal during the week, marking an annual high.
The Russian market is expanding on the back of imports. According to FESCO calculations, container shipments grew by 6% in January — September to 5.3 million TEU. Imports gained 17% (2.29 million TEU), domestic traffic grew 3.7% (1.2 million TEU), exports dropped 4% (1.39 million TEU), and rail transit edged down 1% (428,000 TEU). Year-on-year growth in September reached 5.7%.
Space has increased on the Korean route. FESCO added a second 500 TEU vessel to the Busan — Vladivostok service, bringing sailings to once every four days. Over the 9-month period, the line moved more than 42,600 TEU (+12%), with imports jumping 26% to nearly 28,000 TEU. If you ship from South Korea, higher departure frequency cuts down vessel waiting times in Busan.
Trucking rates rise despite declining volumes
According to estimates by M.A. Research and PEK, road freight volumes in Russia are projected to decrease by 4.6% in 2026 to 6.5 billion tons. In monetary terms, the market will grow 10% to 3.15 trillion rubles, as tariffs have risen 8–9% since the beginning of the year. Operating costs rose 13% over January — September. Diesel climbed 19.5% to 89 rubles/liter in certain regions, repairs rose 14%, spare parts 16%, and heavy truck toll fees on federal highways surged 47% to 5.19 rubles/km. Carrier profitability, as estimated by the trade association, fell to 2–3%.
Carriers operating on such tight margins have no room to cut rates. Calculate delivery from the port to your warehouse at current tariffs without anticipating winter discounts. For those shipping cargo to Armenia or the South Caucasus, congestion adds to the cost: on October 29, the head of North Ossetia, Sergey Menyailo, counted 580 heavy trucks in the electronic queue and another 332 in parking areas waiting to exit into Georgia via Upper Lars; on November 1, the figures were 509 and 436. This is the sole operating checkpoint on the border with Georgia, and the route is frequently shut down in winter due to inclement weather.
What to check before shipment in November
Among the four checks, an error with the country of origin is the most expensive: customs can assess additional duties even post-release, as in the L'Etoile retail chain case. A QR code mistake costs a trip and funds frozen for up to three months, while a paper waybill will incur fines starting March 1, 2027. The most pressing issue is the Amur, as the last river crossing, Poyarkovo, operates only until November 5. In December, container trains transit through Kazakhstan will see relief, moving ahead of raw materials after December 20.
Send us your proforma invoice and FEA CN codes before placing an order with your supplier. We will calculate customs duty, VAT, and delivery to your warehouse for your shipment, and advise which border crossing and lead time to plan for November and December.