Russian Beer Imports From Non-EAEU Countries Fall 34% in First Half of 2026
Russian beer imports from countries outside the EAEU fell 34% year on year to 61.7 million liters in the first half of 2026. Supplies from EAEU members doubled, while Russian-made products retained 95.4% of domestic sales.
Non-EAEU shipments decline
Russia imported 61.7 million liters of beer from countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union in the first half of 2026, a decline of 34% from the same period a year earlier. The figures were provided by the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies, the operator of Russia’s Chestny Znak product-labeling system, and reported by RIA Novosti.
Several Russian publications described the affected suppliers as countries deemed “unfriendly” by Moscow. The underlying figures cited by RIA Novosti, however, define the group more broadly as countries that are not members of the EAEU. The two categories are not necessarily identical, an important distinction when assessing changes in sourcing and market access.
The reduction points to a further shift in Russia’s imported beer portfolio. Producers and distributors outside the regional trade bloc are competing for a smaller volume, while importers face a market in which domestic brands already account for nearly all sales.
EAEU suppliers expand their position
Beer imports from EAEU member states doubled during the same six-month period, according to the CRPT data cited by RIA Novosti. No country-level breakdown or absolute volume for these shipments was provided, so the scale of their contribution to total supply cannot be calculated from the available figures.
The divergent trends indicate that part of the reduction in non-EAEU deliveries is being offset by suppliers within the union. For breweries and traders, this changes the competitive balance of the imported segment: EAEU-origin products are increasing their presence as shipments from outside the bloc contract.
Domestic production remains the decisive source of beer sold in Russia. Locally made beverages represented 95.4% of all products sold, leaving imports to compete within a relatively narrow share of the market. Even a doubling of EAEU supplies therefore does not alter the central role of Russian breweries, although it can materially affect individual importers, distributors and premium or specialist categories.
Demand shifts toward stronger mainstream beer
The first-half data also show differences between alcohol-strength segments. Sales of low-alcohol beer with an alcohol content of 0.5% to 3% recorded the sharpest decline. Volume sales fell 17%, while sales measured in rubles decreased 12%.
The smaller fall in revenue than in liters suggests that the average value of sales in this segment did not decline as quickly as physical demand. The available data do not identify whether that gap resulted from price changes, product mix or other factors.
Beer with an alcohol content of 3% to 6% produced the most stable sales growth. That performance gives domestic brewers and remaining import suppliers a clearer demand signal than the weaker low-alcohol category, particularly in a market where local products control 95.4% of sales.
The latest figures follow a difficult year for the broader market. Maxim Chernigovsky, an associate professor at the Presidential Academy in St. Petersburg, said Russian retail sales of beer and beer-based beverages fell 16% in 2025, while production declined only 1%. He said possible excess stocks held by some distributors or producers would not lead to cheaper beer. For market participants, the combination of contracting retail sales, comparatively steady production and changing import origins raises the importance of inventory management and product positioning.
