Russia has been drinking Ceylon tea for longer than most current trade relationships have existed — and in 2024 it was still worth around US$137.5 million a year to Sri Lanka. That makes it one of the single most important destinations for the country's tea. But the story people tell about it — either "sanctions killed it" or "it's booming regardless" — is wrong in both directions. The truth is more interesting, and if you trade in this corridor, more useful.
We'll lay out where it genuinely stands: the numbers, what changed after 2022, and what it means in practice if you're moving tea into this market. This is a straight read for the industry, not a pitch aimed at Russian buyers.
A market built on a real, old habit
Russia's appetite for Ceylon tea isn't a trade arrangement — it's a culture. Strong black tea is woven into Russian daily life, and Sri Lanka has supplied that demand at scale for generations, through the Soviet era and every economic turn since. That history is the important context: this isn't a market Sri Lanka is chasing for the first time. It's one it has served, reliably, for a very long time. Habits like that don't vanish quickly, which is exactly why the trade has proved as durable as it has.
What actually changed after 2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed hit the tea trade even though tea itself was never a directly sanctioned product. Two things did the damage. The ruble fell sharply, cutting Russian buyers' purchasing power overnight. And several major Russian banks were cut from the SWIFT payment system, which turned the simple act of getting paid into a logistical problem. Sri Lankan trade bodies flagged genuine concern about buyer affordability at the time.
The key point for anyone trading now: the friction is in the plumbing — payment settlement, banking relationships, freight and insurance routing — not in a ban on the product. Food and agricultural goods have faced far fewer direct restrictions than other sectors, which is why the tea kept flowing when other Russia-bound trade stalled.
The honest 2025 numbers
Here's where we part company with the "booming regardless" version. The trade held, but it softened:
- 21.59 million kg — Sri Lankan tea imported by Russia across 2025, down 13.6% on the previous year.
- #2, not #1 — for January–December 2025, Iraq overtook Russia as the largest single destination for Sri Lankan tea, with Russia second and Turkey close behind.
- ~US$137.5 million — the 2024 value of the trade, still placing Russia among the very top handful of markets.
- US$1.51 billion — Sri Lanka's total tea export earnings in 2025, for scale.
So the accurate summary is: Russia remains a top-tier market, but volume dipped in 2025 and it has slipped from first to second. That's a market to take seriously and plan around carefully — not one to either write off or bank on blindly.
If you're weighing a programme into Russia or the wider CIS, the compliance and payment side is where most of the risk actually lives — and it's the part we'll walk you through honestly before you commit. Send us your sourcing brief and we'll tell you what's realistically involved.
What it means if you're trading into this corridor
The practical realities are consistent and worth raising with a partner upfront rather than discovering mid-shipment:
- Payment takes longer and more coordination. SWIFT restrictions mean settlement routes need to be confirmed bank-to-bank before an order, not assumed.
- Price the ruble in, even in USD contracts. Currency swings hit your buyer's affordability and therefore your reorder rate, even when the contract itself is dollar-denominated.
- Re-confirm freight and insurance every time. Routing and cover that worked last shipment shouldn't be assumed unchanged.
None of this is unique to tea — it's the reality of most legitimate trade into Russia right now. But a supplier who names it early is a safer partner than one who lets you find out later.
Where this sits in the bigger picture
Russia is one major market among several — sitting alongside Iraq, Turkey, the UAE and the value-added programmes growing in the US and Europe. For the full map of who exports Ceylon tea, how the industry is structured, and how to choose a manufacturing partner, see our guide to tea exporters and companies in Sri Lanka.
Frequently asked questions
Is Russia still a major buyer of Ceylon tea in 2026? Yes. Russia remained the second-largest destination for Sri Lankan tea in 2025 at 21.59 million kg, worth around US$137.5 million in 2024 — a top-tier market, even though volume fell 13.6% year-on-year and Iraq took the top spot.
Did sanctions stop Ceylon tea exports to Russia? No. Tea has never been a directly sanctioned commodity. Trade continued, but banking (SWIFT) and currency (ruble) disruption created real, documented friction around payment and affordability rather than blocking the product itself.
Is the Sri Lanka–Russia tea trade growing or shrinking? It softened in 2025 — down 13.6% in volume, and Russia slipped from first to second behind Iraq. It remains a major market, but the recent direction is a dip, not growth. Commodity trade never guarantees the next year's direction either way.
Who is the biggest destination for Sri Lankan tea now? For 2025, Iraq was the largest single destination, followed by Russia and Turkey.
Samley Teas produces private-label, specialty and value-added Ceylon tea for brands and importers across regulated and emerging markets alike. If you're planning a programme into Russia, the CIS, or any market where getting the compliance and logistics right matters, talk to us about your sourcing brief — we'll tell you honestly what's involved before you commit.