BISNIS, part of the US Department of Commerce, Washington DC, has reported that low quality sports footwear is flooding the market in the Primorsky Krai in Russia’s Far East. Much of this footwear comes from China and is brought to Primorsky by shuttle traders.

Few sports footwear manufacturers have official dealers in the Russian region, and original footwear can be found alongside counterfeit footwear in local open air ‘rinoks’ (markets). Most official dealers of American and European sports footwear brands import their products into the region from factories in China, Malaysia and Taiwan. For example, Sprint-Vostok, the official dealer of Adidas footwear, sells Adidas products made in China, Malaysia and Türkiye.