Key Takeaways
- The Nizhny Novgorod regional government said 550 stores in the region have voluntarily stopped selling vapes and e-liquids.
- Deputy Minister Elena Omelyanenko said a public offer for businesses to self-restrict vape sales has been in force since September 2025.
- A large retail chain with more than 40 outlets in Nizhny Novgorod is among the organizations that joined the initiative.
- Regional authorities said a large-scale campaign against illegal vape retail sales began in spring 2026.
- The regional government said a federal ban on vape sales is expected to be introduced soon.
2Firsts, April 15, 2026
According to the press service of the Nizhny Novgorod regional government, 550 stores in the region have voluntarily removed vapes and e-liquids for vaping devices from their assortments.
Nizhny Novgorod says 550 stores have stopped selling vapes
According to the statement, Elena Omelyanenko, Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, said that since September 2025 the region has had a public offer for businesses to self-restrict the sale of vapes.
She said the organizations that joined the initiative include a large retail chain with more than 40 outlets in Nizhny Novgorod.
Regional authorities say the market is saturated with counterfeit products
The report quoted Arina Krainova, head of marketing at a trading company, as saying that the market is currently oversaturated with counterfeit products and that it is difficult to ensure transparent rules of regulation. She said the company has always supported open and legal business operations and therefore decided to sign the initiative.
Authorities urge businesses to operate strictly within the law
Deputy Governor Andrei Checherin called on businesses to operate exclusively within the legal framework. He also said that entrepreneurs could stop selling vapes altogether, especially since a ban on the sale of such products is expected to be introduced soon at the federal level.
Spring enforcement campaign has already begun
The regional government also said that a large-scale campaign to stop illegal retail sales of vapes began in spring 2026. As part of that effort, a vape sales outlet in Bogorodsk located less than 100 meters from a general education school was closed by court decision.
The report also noted that in summer 2025, the President of Russia supported Governor Gleb Nikitin’s initiative to ban vape sales and approved the possibility of granting Nizhny Novgorod Region the status of a pilot region.
Image Source: Nizhny Novgorod regional government
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