Armenian producers, shut out of Russia’s export market, have yet to establish a sufficient presence in other markets to offset their losses.

Ara Marutyan, co-founder of the Made by Armenians and Export Armenia NGOs, says individual entrepreneurs have achieved some success in this regard. Through the NGOs he heads, he has managed to reach agreements with several countries, but this has not significantly alleviated the overall situation.

Reports also suggest that Armenian apricots are being exported to Russia under Georgian, Iranian, Turkish, and possibly Azerbaijani labels.

Artyom Tadevosyan, founder of the Gourmet Lab brand that exports Armenian dried fruits and canned goods, also talked to Hetq about the panic and uncertainty prevailing in the export business. He says the subsidies provided by the Armenian government do not solve the problem. One of the main obstacles facing Armenian producers is that they do not know what quality and standards of products the European consumer demands.

According to Armenia’s Customs Service, in 2025,  the country exported $2.9 billion worth of goods to Russia, which is a 2.9% decrease compared to 2024.

Russia accounts for about 35% of Armenia’s exports. In April, we explained how Russia’s share of Armenian exports has grown in recent years while the EU’s share has declined.

• Armenia’s Export Markets: Russia Up, EU Down

Here, we highlight the top twenty  products exported from Armenia to Russia.

If we exclude re-exported products, which are also presented in this article, then brandy has the largest export volume, followed by fruits (apricots, cherries, etc.), fish and flowers. In addition to brandy, the situation is currently quite bad for exporters of other goods.

Armenia also exports cigarettes to Russia, but there is no significant dependence on the Russian market in this regard, since it is not the main destination.

Phones, brandy, TV’s: Top three exports from Armenia to Russia

In 2025, the list of goods exported from Armenia to Russia, by value, was topped by mobile phones. This is evidenced by Customs Service data. Mobile phones worth $789 million were exported from Armenia to Russia, an increase of 27% compared to the previous year.

Since 2022, Armenia has been importing a large volume of mobile phones (mostly from Vietnam) and re-exporting them to Russia. For Russia, which is under Western sanctions, Armenia has been and to some extent continues to be a supplier of various goods, including equipment.

As a result, Mobile Centre (Mobile Centre Art LLC), which is engaged in the trade and export of phones, has become the largest taxpayer in Armenia at different times. According to the latest data, in the first quarter of 2026, Mobile Centre paid more taxes than Gazprom Armenia, Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Plant (ZCMC), and Grand Tobacco, which are among the top largest taxpayers.

• First Quarter 2026: Mobile Centre Was Largest Taxpayer in Armenia

Brandy is the most important product of Armenian origin exported from Armenia to Russia. According to the customs service, in 2025, Armenia exported $285 million worth of brandy, rum, gin, vodka, and liqueur to Russia. Although brandy is not separately listed here, it should be noted that it accounts for the lion's share of the mentioned volume.

During 2025, there were rumors that Russia had reduced the import of Armenian brandy, also since Georgia had periodically prevented Armenian trucks loaded with brandy and wine from crossing the border with artificial obstacles.

In terms of value, the total value of brandy (as well as rum, gin, vodka, liqueur) exported from Armenia to Russia in 2025 did not change compared to 2024. However, exports in physical volumes decreased: in particular, about 34 million liters were exported in 2025, compared to about 41 million liters in 2024.

It turns out that in 2025, the beverages of the mentioned product group, especially brandy, were exported at a higher price on average, and despite the decrease in physical volumes, the total value remained the same.

In the total volume of brandy (rum, gin, vodka, liqueur) exported from Armenia in 2025, Russia's share was 83%. The rest was exported to Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, the USA, Ukraine, China, Serbia and other countries.

Armenia also re-exported many televisions to Russia, worth $142 million, which were imported mainly from Egypt, Vietnam and China.

In fourth place in terms of exports to Russia are again re-exported goods: computers and their blocks, worth about $97 million. They were imported to Armenia mostly from China and Vietnam.

If re-exports are excluded, fruit—fresh apricots, cherries, sour cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums—is the second-largest Armenian-origin product group exported to Russia in 2025, with exports totaling $57 million. Russia accounted for 94% of Armenian fruit exports.

The main market for fresh fish, flowers and vegetables exported from Armenia is Russia, with a share of 99-100%.

Armenia also exported $53 million worth of orthopedic devices and medical prostheses to Russia, as well as $38 million worth of medical equipment. In both cases, the main export market was again Russia, and this is again about re-export, which has become more evident since 2023.

Only 3% of semi-finished or unprocessed gold exported from Armenia was shipped to Russia, and 2% of jewelry.

$43 million  worth of ferromolybdenum, an alloy primarily used as an additive in steelmaking and iron production, was exported to Russia, which made up 29% of the total ferromolybdenum exported from Armenia in 2025, as well as $21 million worth of molybdenum concentrate, which is 9.5% of the total export.

In 2025, Armenia exported $54 million worth of shoes made of natural leather and textile material to Russia. In both cases, the main export market is Russia. It is difficult to say what part of this volume is shoes of Armenian origin and what are reexports. In any case, foreign trade statistics show that since 2022, Armenia has significantly increased the import of shoes and, at the same time, exports.

Russia is not a major consumption market for Armenian cigarettes. In 2025, only 6% of cigarettes exported from Armenia were delivered to Russia. They are exported mainly to Iraq, the UAE, and to a lesser extent to Syria, China, Japan, Hong Kong, etc.

Of note is that in 2025, Armenia exported cigarettes worth about $3 million to Cambodia. Cigarettes are the only item Armenia exports to Cambodia.

Armenian cigarette manufacturer SPS Cigaronne recently announced that one of Cambodia’s largest counterfeit cigarette operations had been shut down after producing fake products under the brands of major international manufacturers, including SPS Cigaronne.

Mineral and natural waters exported from Armenia to Russia, which were also subject to a ban, did not rank among the top twenty products.

However, if we filter the list and leave only products of Armenian origin, then water will certainly appear, if not in the top ten, then at least in the top twenty. In 2025, Armenia exported $20 million worth of natural or artificial mineral water to Russia, as well as $22 million worth of natural mineral water and sugary drinks.

Hetq, in a previous article, wrote that Russia is the main supplier of several goods to Armenia, for example, 99% of oil and wheat are imported from Russia. Armenia also imports a large amount of margarine, poultry, chocolate, confectionery, food additives, etc. Among non-food items, gas is in the first place.

Gas, Wheat, Cooking Oil: Top 20 Products Armenia Imports from Russia