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Russia Bans More Ukrainian Products

Russia's Rospotrebnadzor has banned the import of Ukrainian "cheese-like products."

Russia's food safety watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has banned the import of Ukrainian "cheese-like products," according to a press release published Thursday on the regulator's website.

Among the banned products are sandwich spreads, certain hard cheeses, and hard margarine.

The reasons for the ban were cited as sanitary infractions and "numerous violations of consumer rights legislation."

Previously in July, citing improper quality control, Russia put a ban on Ukrainian cheeses and milk, in a move widely seen as politically motivated.

According to Thursday's press release, Ukrainian margarine "did not meet the regulatory requirements of trans-unsaturated fatty acids," while sandwich spreads "revealed the presence of animal fats" when the companies had claimed they were 100 percent vegetarian.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine have worsened dramatically since Russia's annexation of Crimea in March. Since July, Russia has banned a slew of Ukrainian products, including fruit, vegetables, juices and soybeans.

Cheese is the country's 10th-largest export to Russia, according to analysts from financial services group Nomura.

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