During the year, about 6 million counterfeit items were seized on the Russian border.

Customs officers identified 5.8 million units of counterfeit products in 2024. The damage to copyright holders could amount to 3.4 billion rubles. In 2023, the number of seized goods reached 4.9 million, estimated at 3.7 billion rubles. Thus, the number of illegal goods increased by almost 20%. This was reported to Izvestia by the Federal Customs Service (FCS).

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Most often, the customs authorities seized counterfeit clothing, shoes, toys, as well as packaging products (in particular, cases and labels).

"The difficulties in identifying such products are related to the fact that importers are constantly improving the quality of counterfeit trademarks. Their identification requires special skills and knowledge of the distinctive features of the original goods," the department stressed.

Illegal products were seized in different regions of Russia. In the first half of 2024 alone, customs officers of the Volga region confiscated 4,500 units of sports shoes with the trademarks "Adidas", "Puma", "Vans".

"The main flow of counterfeit products comes to Russia from China, the UAE, Turkey and the Middle East. Attempts to import through the territory of Kazakhstan are also being recorded," said Irina Assessor, Vice President of the Association of Exporters and Importers (AEI).

Previously, the most popular illegal goods in Russia were cigarettes, car parts and other equipment, experts interviewed by Izvestia recalled. The increase in the number of counterfeit textiles from Western manufacturers is associated with the imposition of sanctions and the withdrawal of many brands from the country.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Fake weight: Counterfeit clothes and shoes have become more common in Russia.