Latvia has banned the import of several products into Russia and Belarus. The complete list of goods still needs to be approved, but it is known that it could include books and periodicals in Russian, video games, sports articles, toys, clothing and footwear.
The ban will cover not only direct imports, but also goods that pass through third countries. Latvia will still allow the transit of products manufactured in Russia and Belarus on its territory to other EU countries.
The Foreign Minister of Latvia, Baiba Braže, stated that Russia uses books and periodicals for propaganda. The government acknowledged that the ban could increase the prices of certain products and mentions that these can be replaced with goods manufactured in other countries.
From 2022, Latvia’s imports from Russia and Belarus have decreased by 91%. In 2025, they amounted to 193 million euros – less than 1% of the country’s total goods imports. The products targeted by the planned ban represented about 12.5 million euros of this amount.