According to EastFruit, Russian authorities have decided to penalize Abkhazia, its own satellite, following recent protests against the ongoing Russian occupation of this Georgian region. As reported by @NGnewsgeorgia, citing the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed republic, the decision was made by Rosselkhoznadzor due to the discovery of a “harmful fly.” However, the Abkhazian side reported no insects in the citrus fruits.
According to EastFruit, Rosselkhoznadzor is the global leader in issuing politically motivated import bans. This organization discovers harmful pests immediately after a country does something that displeases the Russian dictator.
The so-called Minister of Agriculture of Abkhazia later denied the import ban. In a comment to Apsnypress, he stated that only one infected batch was confiscated. According to him, the Russian quarantine service did find California thrips in citrus fruits, but there has been no official notification of a total import ban yet.
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“We cannot yet say with certainty that these mandarins will be returned. Everything will become clear after each batch is checked,” the official added.
Abkhazian mandarins are traditionally in high demand in Russia, especially in the run-up to the New Year holidays. The current situation is exacerbated by the political crisis in the breakaway Georgian region. In November, mass protests against an investment agreement with Russia led to the resignation of the so-called President Aslan Bzhania.
On December 3, the Abkhaz parliament refused to ratify the agreement, sparking public unrest. The agreement would have allowed Russian companies to undertake investment projects in Abkhazia.
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