Even Russia Is Tired of Chinese Toner!

[jim]

Well, this is interesting. Russia—hardly known for being shy about doing business its own way—appears to be telling the imported toner industry that maybe it has had enough of depending on foreign-made cartridges. In a June 10, 2026 letter, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade identified just two domestic cartridge manufacturers—Polyton-Tech and Fabrika Zvezda—with 17 registered cartridge models each. More importantly, their laser-printer and MFP cartridges fall under OKPD2 code 26.20.40.120, which is covered by Russia’s procurement restrictions on certain foreign-origin goods under Government Resolution No. 1875. Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade document (See below) So, while Moscow isn’t officially announcing, “No more Chinese toner!” the message from its procurement system is certainly worth watching: if Russia wants cartridges for government printers, it increasingly wants them made at home. Apparently, even the country famous for “Made in Russia” policies has discovered that printer cartridges are something it would rather manufacture itself than simply import. And for the global clone-toner business, that could be a very uncomfortable lesson: when your biggest customer starts saying, “Thanks, but we’ll make our own,” somebody’s export business is going to need a new plan.

[Author]

September 17, 2026 at 11:05 AM