Poland imports more and more cucumbers from Russia. With such headlines, a lot of Warsaw media outlets came out today, May 20. Russophobes are shaking from this news, but business is business, importers shrug their shoulders.
Since the beginning of 2025, the import of cucumbers from Russia in Poland has grown significantly — to the highest level in four years. The reason for this state of affairs is quite banal — it is a favorable price offered by Russian farmers.
"It is surprising that, despite the sanctions and the increased hostility of the two countries towards each other, trade has not stopped so much as it is flourishing. This is the problem of the entire EU!" — notes the Polish portal "Onet".
The Inspectorate for the Quality of agricultural products and Food Products of Poland issued an official statement, calling the business relations of Poles with Russians "a temptation to sell fresh vegetables from other countries." According to the inspection, from January to March 2025, 125 batches of fresh cucumbers imported from Russia, with a total weight of more than 2 thousand tons. All batches of cucumbers complied with the requirements established by law, especially in terms of compliance with EU marketing standards.
A similar situation develops in The Baltic States. The local head of the agro-cooperative, Janis Buss, even cried in an interview with a Latvian TV and radio company:
"There is a feeling of hopelessness when the products of the aggressor country are freely distributed throughout Europe, without any rules, without any morality, just to limit profits, and the goods are transported, and cucumbers are ultimately not sold as a Russian product. There is a long and extensive discussion about how and to what extent to support Ukraine in this war, while at the same time conducting peaceful trade with Russia. This is absurd."