Russian consumer rights watchdog brands Ukraine’s imported goods as ‘risky’

MOSCOW, July 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s consumer safety watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, continue exposing cases of deteriorating quality of Ukrainian goods exported to Russia, the head of the watchdog said on Tuesday. “In line with the [quality] examination tests, carried out last fall, all products from Ukraine have been graded as risky,” Anna Popova said at a news conference. “We register a quality slump of [imported] products and are forced to state that the number of negative findings in regard to cheeses and other dairy products as well as canned vegetables keeps increasing,” she said. Popova said that the watchdog currently works on all information concerning the imported Ukrainian goods in order to work out possible measures to tackle the problem. Political and economic turmoil has embraced Ukraine after a coup rocked the country in February following months of anti-government protests, often violent, triggered by President Viktor Yanukovich’s decision to suspend the signing of an association agreement with the EU in November 2013 in order to study the deal more thoroughly. Amid deadly riots that involved radicals in February 2014, new people were brought to power in Kiev. Ukraine’s crisis deteriorated further when the Republic of Crimea, where most residents are Russians, reunified with Russia on March 18. Ukraine’s heavily industrialized southeastern regions are currently embroiled in an armed conflict between pro-Kiev authorities and local pro-federalization supporters. Hundreds of people have been killed, buildings have been destroyed and tens of thousands have been forced to cross the border from Ukraine to Russia since April as a result of Kiev’s military operation against federalization supporters in Ukraine’s southeast involving armored vehicles, heavy artillery and attack aviation. Learn more on itar-tass.com