Russia reportedly imposes temporary ban on Armenia’s Jermuk mineral water over sanitary concerns
One month after President Vladimir Putin’s stern warnings to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Russian authorities have reportedly imposed a temporary ban on sales of Armenia’s best-known mineral water, Jermuk, on sanitary grounds.
A senior Russian official, Revaz Yusupov, said on Tuesday that the state consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor initiated the measure to “prevent possible harm to the life and health of Russian citizens.” He said some 338,000 bottles of water produced by Armenia’s Jermuk Group from February 17 through March 5 will be taken off the Russian market pending the findings of an ongoing safety inspection.
Jermuk sales were already blocked in Russia in late 2024 following the death of a man in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz who was said to have drunk the water. Russian health officials claimed at the time that it may have been contaminated with vinegar acid, a possibility the Armenian company ruled out.
A Russian law-enforcement agency reopened a criminal investigation into the death last week. Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate said later on Tuesday that it has not yet received any official notifications from the Russian side regarding the ban. A spokeswoman said the agency is taking measures to understand the situation and take appropriate steps.
Jermuk Group did not immediately comment. The company is controlled by Ashot Arsenian, a wealthy businessman who used to be very close to former President Serzh Sarkisian but now has a warm rapport with Pashinian’s political team. Arsenian’s son, Vahagn, was investigated for draft evasion before being elected mayor of the town of Jermuk on the ruling Civil Contract party ticket in 2021.
Pashinian appointed Arsenian Jr. as governor of the surrounding Vayots Dzor province last year. The trade move comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Yerevan.
Meeting with the Armenian premier in Moscow on April 1, Putin publicly warned that Armenia’s moves to eventually join the European Union are “not compatible” with its continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which gives Armenian exporters tariff-free access to the Russian market.
Putin also said that Pashinian’s administration should not bar pro-Russian opposition groups or politicians from running in Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections. The next day, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk threatened far-reaching retaliatory measures against what he described as the Armenian government’s efforts to push Russia’s state-owned railway monopoly and other major companies out of Armenia.
The head of Russia’s state agricultural watchdog separately reported a major tightening of controls on multimillion-dollar imports of food and flowers from Armenia. In what looked like another related development, Russia’s state alcohol and tobacco regulator moved in the following days to revoke the import license of a major Armenian brandy manufacturer heavily dependent on Russia’s market, accusing the Proshian Brandy Factory of fraud.
Russia is the principal market for agricultural products as well as alcoholic and soft drinks exported by Armenia. Armenian exports to Russia totaled almost $3 billion last year, compared with $667 million to European Union member states.