MOSCOW, September 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia may suspend imports of grapes and apples from Ukraine for fears of re-export from Moldova, veterinary and phytosanitary service Rosselkhoznadzor said on Friday

“We warn our Ukrainian counterparts that we will have to impose temporary restrictions if they are not responsible for what they sell,” Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergey Dankvert said, adding that Russian specialists regularly reveal phytosanitary violations in Ukrainian imports of grapes and apples.

The products might be re-exported from Moldova, side-stepping Russia’s restrictions on fruit imports from the former Soviet republic, Dankvert said.

“Most likely they supply Moldovan products,” he said. “They do not write it in phytosanitary certificates.”

The regulator was currently analysing risks to decide whether to restrict imports of all fruit and vegetables from Ukraine or only grapes and apples, the official added.

The Russian embargo on Moldovan fruit, introduced in July - two weeks before Moscow issued a wider ban on western produce - covers imports of apples, plums, peaches and canned fruit.