The low capacity of the Upper Lars checkpoint has been hindering trade between Russia and Armenia lately, said Tatyana Bakalchuk, the founder and executive director of the Wildberries online store.

Armenia and Russia do not have a common border, and goods are transported by land between the two countries through the territory of Georgia through the Upper Lars checkpoint, Interfax reports.

"We have constant problems with customs in Upper Lars. Those who also use this road, I think, are aware of it. The problem here is not even related to the documentation: purely physically it would be impossible fo a large number of cars to pass through this checkpoint, despite the fact that the number of routes has increased from three to six in 2022," said Bakalchuk.

Moreover, there is fear that the situation may worsen in the summer: when the apricot picking season begins in Armenia, there will be even more cars at the checkpoint. Therefore, Wildberries specialists consider the possibility of shipping goods by sea as an alternative to Upper Lars.

More than 1458 sellers from Armenia are already offering their products on the Wildberries platform, and the sale of Armenian products on the platform increased 1.5 times from January to March 2023, reaching 352 million rubles. Toys, holiday, health and home products, as well as food and clothing, are the most sought-after products among shoppers.