Will Kazakhstan introduce prohibitive recycling fees on cars imported from Russia and Belarus?

Kazakhstan is considering a sharp hike in utilization (recycling) fees on vehicles imported from Russia and Belarus—by up to 40×—under a draft order published by the Ministry of Ecology. The proposal would apply drastically higher coefficients to Russian- and Belarusian-made passenger cars and trucks, while leaving rates for vehicles from other countries unchanged. Officials frame the move as a way to “level the playing field” within the EAEU after Russia and Belarus imposed additional charges on Kazakhstan-assembled cars, effectively treating them as re-exports. If adopted, the change would make imports from Russia and Belarus economically unviable (e.g., up to ~4.4 million rubles per car in a mass segment), protecting domestic assembly and limiting inflows of Russian cars and agricultural machinery. The measure also signals rising friction inside the EAEU, where reciprocal barriers increasingly replace free movement. Still, the proposal faces risks: pushback from partners, legal challenges within EAEU rules, and potential retaliation.