Russian citizens arrested at German airports for exporting luxury goods
At German airports, expensive purchases are confiscated from citizens of the Russian Federation when they try to get a tax deduction for them (Tax free) and they initiate cases of an attempt to illegally import sanctioned goods into Russia. The Moscow Times writes about this (included in the list of blocked resources).
“At the Frankfurt airport, a Furla bag for 500 euros was confiscated from a Muscovite when she tried to stamp the purchase documents at a special point for tax free before departure in order to receive a tax deduction on her account,” the newspaper writes. According to the Russian woman, the officer making the deduction announced the withdrawal of the purchase and the initiation of a case on an attempt to illegally import luxury goods into the Russian Federation.
Experts spoke about several more cases of luxury brands being seized from Russians. So, two similar incidents occurred in Frankfurt and Berlin airport. “We advise Russian clients not to try to get a VAT refund under any circumstances, at the risk of losing not only the purchase, but also the right to enter the EU,” the consultant recommended.
The EU countries, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan and a number of other states have imposed sanctions against Russia because of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. In particular, as part of the fourth package of sanctions, the European Union imposed a ban on the supply of “luxury items” to the Russian Federation, MK.RU reports. The restrictions affected cars worth more than 50 thousand euros, as well as expensive equipment, jewelry, perfumes, bags, precious stones, delicacies and alcohol, RT adds. However, the business of the Russian Federation has already begun to acquire equipment without the consent of the copyright holders as part of parallel imports. The head of the federal antimonopoly service, Maxim Shaskolsky, announced plans to return all imported goods to the country.
Russian business began to purchase equipment as part of parallel imports. This was stated by a representative of one of the trading companies selling equipment and electronics in the Russian Federation.
“Sales of consumer goods that will be imported into the Russian Federation without the consent of the copyright holder may start in June,” the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov suggested earlier, Izvestia reports. He added that the list of goods for parallel imports was approved on May 6, and it will take about a month for trade to purchase goods. The Minister noted that the import of products without the consent of the copyright holder is allowed until the end of 2022.
At the same time, large retail chains do not risk buying Apple electronics, as there is a risk that gadgets in Russia will not be activated. “Russians can buy Apple equipment in third countries, but they themselves will be responsible for these products,” a source in one of the telecom retailers emphasized. At the same time, representatives of the stores assured that Russian buyers should not have problems finding and buying the right product in Russia – they managed to buy equipment in stores even before the sanctions hit the country.
Earlier, Denis Manturov said that foreign companies did not ask to exclude their goods from the list of parallel imports. At the same time, he noted that the Ministry of Industry and Trade would promptly respond to requests from companies to remove them from the list.
The EU countries, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan and a number of other states have imposed tough sanctions against Russia because of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. Sanctions pressure on Russia has been ongoing since the early 2000s and has escalated in recent months. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that their goal was to “cancel” Russia, ban its culture and role in major world events: “I am talking about the progressive discrimination of everything connected with Russia, about this trend that is unfolding in a number of Western states – with full connivance, and sometimes with the encouragement of the ruling elites.
Photo: Alexander Mamaev © URA.RU
