In an exercise of regulatory cynicism, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) is considering a ban on transit of processed poultry from the U.S. through Russian territory to Kazakhstan. The proposed ban is apparently justified by outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the U.S.
U.S. exports to Kazakhstan attained 80,316 metric tons during 2021 falling 40 percent to 47,900 metric tons in 2022 and was under 15,000 tons in 2023 through October.
The Russian Agency is also apparently concerned over high mortality in marine mammals on both the Pacific and Atlantic seaboards of South America that may result in action against Argentina and Brazil.
Banning trans-shipment of sealed containers of U.S. poultry emanating from plants in counties devoid of HPAI will not have any effect on the disease status of flocks in the Russian Federation. Their action is somewhat analogous to the 
unjustified U.S. banning of poultry products from France based on the deployment of vaccine against avian influenza.
Both the Russian Federation and the U.S. are equally susceptible to introduction of HPAI virus disseminated by migratory birds. Bans such as those proposed by the Russian Federation are based on xenophobia, epidemiologic ignorance, competition, geopolitics or their combination.