The Kyrgyz cabinet extended its temporary ban on exporting timber and wood products outside the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union for six months, according to a government resolution reported on 11 June. The measure covers a set of timber and lumber categories and exempts humanitarian aid. Bishkek has imposed and renewed such bans regularly since 2021.
Officials present the ban as protecting the domestic market and Kyrgyzstan’s limited forests. It is also aimed at stopping the illegal re-export of raw materials, including timber that enters the country duty-free from Russia, a detail that fits Kyrgyzstan’s wider role as a conduit for Russian goods under Western sanctions.