Russia bans all U.S.

food, EU fruit and

vegetables in sanctions response; NATO fears
invasion
5 OF 5. A convoy of military armoured veicles is seen near a cec!point on a road in
"onets! region August #, $%&'.
BY POLINA DEVITT AND MARIA TSVETKOVA-Wed
Aug 6, 2014
(Reuters) * Russia +ill ban all imports of food from te United States and all fruit and
vegetables from Europe, te state ne+s agency reported on ,ednesday, a s+eeping
response to ,estern sanctions imposed over its support for rebels in U!raine.
Te measures +ill it consumers at ome +o rely on ceap imports, and on farmers
in te ,est for +om Russia is a big mar!et. -osco+ is by far te biggest buyer of
European fruit and vegetables and te second biggest importer of U.S. poultry.
R.A /uoted te spo!esman for Russia0s food safety +atcdog 12SS, Ale3ei Ale3een!o,
as saying all European fruit and vegetables and all produce from te United States
+ould be included in a ban dra+n up on te orders of 2resident 1ladimir 2utin to
punis countries tat imposed sanctions on Russia.
Earlier, Ale3een!o told Reuters bans on EU and U.S. goods +ould be 4/uite
substantial4, and +ould specifically include U.S. poultry, altoug e declined to give a
full list of banned goods. 5e could not be reaced again after te R.A report.
Te +ar of economic sanctions as escalated even as figting as intensified on te
ground in eastern U!raine in te tree +ee!s since a -alaysian airliner +as sot do+n
over territory eld by pro*Russian rebels.
NATO said on ,ednesday Russia ad massed around $%,%%% combat*ready troops on
U!raine0s border and could use te prete3t of a umanitarian mission to invade. .t +as
te star!est +arning yet from te ,estern alliance tat -osco+ could mount a ground
assault on its neigbour.
As rebels ave lost ground to U!rainian government troops, Russia announced
military e3ercises tis +ee! near te border.
4,e0re not going to guess +at0s on Russia0s mind, but +e can see +at Russia is doing
on te ground 6 and tat is of great concern. Russia as amassed around $%,%%%
combat*ready troops on U!raine7s eastern border,4 NATO spo!es+oman Oana
8ungescu said in an emailed statement.
-osco+ could use 4te prete3t of a umanitarian or peace*!eeping mission as an
e3cuse to send troops into Eastern U!raine4, se said. A NATO military officer,
spea!ing on condition of anonymity, said Russia0s build*up at te border included
tan!s, infantry, artillery, air defence systems, logistics troops, special forces, and
aircraft.
A Russian defence ministry spo!esman dismissed te NATO accusations9 4,e0ve been
earing tis for tree monts already.4
-osco+ anne3ed U!raine0s :rimea peninsula in te ;lac! Sea in -arc, and ,estern
countries say it as funded and armed pro*Russian rebels since tey rose up in east
U!raine in April.
Over te past t+o monts, government troops ave fougt bac!, gaining ground
against te rebels, +o are led almost e3clusively by Russian citi<ens and ave
managed to ac/uire tan!s, missiles and oter eavy +eaponry tat =iev and its
,estern allies say can only ave come from across te frontier.
=iev said &> U!rainian servicemen ad been !illed and ?' in@ured in $? separate
clases over te past day in eastern U!raine. -ilitary spo!esman Andriy 8ysen!o said
troops ad been selled from inside Russian territory and frontier guards ad come
under a four*our mortar and artillery attac!.
Aigting as intensified since -alaysia Airlines fligt -5&B crased on Culy &B, !illing
all $D> people on board. ,estern countries say it +as sot do+n by rebels +it an
advanced anti*aircraft missile supplied by Russia. -osco+ denies blame, and te
Russians +o command te rebels deny tey ad suc missiles.
Te United States and te EU imposed sanctions on Russia tat +ere mild at first but
ave been tigtened sarply since te airliner +as brougt do+n, no+ targeting
Russia0s defence, oil and financial sectors.
On ,ednesday, 2utin ordered is government to come up +it a list of agricultural
products from countries tat ad imposed sanctions on Russia, +ic +ould be
banned in retaliation. 5e told te government to avoid measures tat +ould urt
Russian consumers, but te blan!et bans reported by R.A +ere about as s+eeping as
could be.
Russia imported E'F billion +ort of food last year. According to te European
:ommission, Russia bougt $> percent of EU fruit e3ports and $&.? percent of its
vegetables in $%&&.
.t +as te second biggest buyer of U.S. poultry after -e3ico last year, accounting for >
percent of U.S. cic!en meat e3ports, according to te U.S. "epartment of Agriculture.
U.S. poultry as been ubi/uitous in Russia since te early days after te Soviet Union,
+en ceap American cic!en /uarters sold at street mar!ets +ere called 4;us0s legs4
after te president.
S.EGE =iev0s military offensive as pused te rebels out of many of teir strongolds,
leaving tem largely besieged in te cities of "onets! and 8uans!, +ic te rebels
ave proclaimed capitals of t+o 4people0s republics4.
Residents in "onets!, east U!raine0s main industrial ub and no+ te principal rebel
redoubt, said U!rainian +arplanes ad carried out air stri!es overnigt.
Reuters @ournalists eard te planes roar overead and massive e3plosions during te
nigt. .n te morning, an industrial district $*F !m (&*$ miles) from te city centre +as
poc!ed +it craters, including t+o uge oles B metres (B yards) +ide and $ metres
deep, ripped into te aspalt.
4Te planes +ere flying lo+. Ten tere +ere t+o massive e3plosions and te glass +as
blo+n out of te +indo+. .t +as terrifying. Tis is +ar. Tere +ill never be peace,4 said
Nade<da, a +oman +o lived nearby.
Government military spo!esman 8ysen!o denied U!rainian planes ad carried out air
stri!es9 4Te U!rainian military does not bomb te to+ns of "onets! and 8uans! or
any oter similar populated places,4 e said.
-any residents ave fled te t+o cities, but undreds of tousands of people are still
living in tem, increasingly fearful tat tey +ill bear te brunt of a full*blo+n assault.
Te latest Russian troop build*up on te border is not te first time -osco+ as
concentrated forces tere9 NATO estimated Russia ad as many as '%,%%% troops in
place earlier in te crisis before 2utin pulled tem bac! in Cune.
;ut te government0s advance since ten may be prompting ne+ action from te
=remlin, after monts in +ic state*controlled Russian media ave mounted a
sustained campaign of anti*U!rainian agitation and nationalist pride focused on
:rimea.
Since -arc, 2utin as vo+ed to use military force to protect Russian*spea!ing
4compatriots4 across te former Soviet Union. 5e branded soutern and eastern
U!raine 4Ne+ Russia4, a name te rebels too! up as catc*all for most militia groups.
-ost people in eastern and soutern U!raine identify temselves as etnic U!rainians
+o spea! Russian as a native language. Outside of te t+o provinces partly occupied
by te armed separatist figters, most ave rallied beind =iev, despite reservations
about te government tere.
2olis 2rime -inister "onald Tus! said on ,ednesday te treat of a direct
intervention by Russia0s military in U!raine as risen over te last couple of days.
A senior U.S. official said ,asington +as !eeping a 4very close eye4 on Russian
activity at te border.
Te last fe+ +ee!s ave not been good ones for te Russians. Tey ave seen te
separatists lose ground and te -alaysian airliner soot*do+n +as a public relations
disaster for te Russians. Unfortunately +e ave not seen a sense tat te Russians are
acting on te negative feedbac! and loo!ing to deescalate. .n fact +e7ve see signs tat
2utin seems to be doubling do+n,H said te official.
Tere7s te buildup on te border, no cange in te propaganda macine in Russia,
tal! of te need for umanitarian peace!eeping in U!raine itself.4
(Additional reporting by Natalia Iinets and Ricard ;almfort in =iev, 8ina =usc in
"onets!, ;arbara 8e+is and Tom =oer!emeier in ;russels, "mitry Idanni!ov and
-aria =iselyova in -osco+, -att Spetalnic! and -ar! 5osenball in ,asington
and Adrian :roftin 8ondon; ,riting by 2eter Graff; editing by "avid Stamp)
2osted by Tavam