Russia’s President Vladimir Putin approved the proposal of Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev to destroy Western produce being smuggled into the country in breach of an official embargo. Putin called on his government to consult with lawyers and put the plan into effect. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also supported the proposal. “I believe, in this case, we could implement the same tough measures as we did with caviar of sturgeon species,” he stated. At present, agricultural producers insist that food imports do not violate the embargo. However, Putin noted he is aware that truckloads of foreign delicacies are stopped at the border as allegedly those products are being relabeled in neighboring ex-Soviet countries and imported illegally. Tkachev admitted such practice. “I want to ask you to do everything possible to allow us to destroy illegal agricultural cargo that arrives at the border right there,” the minister said at a government meeting. Until now, any smuggled produce detected at the state border has been sent back to the original sender as the law requires. Therefore, it is impossible to tackle illegal food imports without revising the legislation.