More than 39,000 freshly cut roses from Armenia have been stopped from entering Russia through Belarus after authorities discovered the shipment was being transported using falsified documents.

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) intercepted the shipment at the Smolensk customs checkpoint, The Caspian Post reports via Interfax.

The truck was carrying approximately 39,200 roses that were prohibited from entering Russia. The vehicle, driven by a Belarusian citizen, was traveling from Belarus’ Minsk region toward Moscow.

However, the accompanying documents reportedly listed the cargo as non-alcoholic energy drinks.

During an inspection of the truck’s cargo compartment, officials discovered the flowers instead of the declared beverages.

The roses had no required phytosanitary or shipping documents, while surviving fragments of labeling indicated that the flowers originated in Armenia.

The shipment was subsequently classified as prohibited for entry into Russia.

Russia tightens restrictions on Armenian agricultural products

The attempted shipment comes amid tighter Russian restrictions on agricultural products from Armenia.

The import and transit of flowers from Armenia through Russia have been prohibited since May 22, 2026. From June 12, Russia also introduced restrictions covering all quarantine-regulated products originating from or shipped from Armenia.

Following a decision by Rosselkhoznadzor’s regional administration, the intercepted roses were destroyed on July 23.

The carrier was also held administratively liable over the shipment.