The massive truck snarl-ups that have plagued the Russian-Kazakh border for several weeks are due to a crackdown by Russia on illegal imports, according to information provided by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, state-owned Russian news agency TASS reported on November 27.

Truckers from countries including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China have been baffled by the extent of the jams, with tens of thousands of Russia-bound vehicles sometimes backed up at border points. In Kyrgyzstan, many garment makers have complained that they face going out of business due to their inability to get their wares to the Russian market.

Putin, who spent three days in Bishkek on a state visit and in order to attend several regional meetings of various post-Soviet states, was cited as saying: "I won't hide the fact that, on my instructions, the Customs Committee — and within the EEU [Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union] our customs authorities have the right to do so — launched random roadside checks.

“It turned out that a significant amount of goods, and a significant number of these trucks, were crossing the Russian-Kazakh border without any documentation whatsoever. It's simply illegal imports."

Putin was also quoted as noting that although Russia and Kazakhstan, as EEU members, share a common customs area and a common market that provides for the free movement of capital and goods, each truck that crosses the border must nevertheless have a specific set of documents agreed upon by both countries.

This must include documentation showing what is in the truck and to whom the goods are being shipped. Also, the customs duties and VAT owed by those crossing the border with goods must be instantly clear.

There were, said Putin, trucks that were "simply rushing into the customs territory" of Russia. "And the Russian Federation is losing, I dare say, billions, tens of billions of rubles in budget revenues," he was reported as also saying.

Putin was also cited as saying that he had agreed with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that they would jointly combat illegal imports flowing from and via Kazakhstan to Russia and that they would work together to clear the jams.

"We discussed this issue… We agreed that we will do everything to ensure that the large number of trucks that have accumulated on our border, in Kazakhstan will begin moving into the Russian Federation. Our customs authorities have agreed that the value of these goods being shipped will be declared, and the final recipient will be indicated. We will gradually allow these trucks to pass through," Putin added.

Separately, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have launched a pilot project on the use of electronic navigation seals in their cross-border road freight transportation. The initiative was announced by the State Tax Service of the Kyrgyz Republic.