[russia] foreigners banned from trading [part 2]

I've been talking to some Russians today about this issue and was surprised they weren't very forthcoming about it. When I asked if they actually agreed with the policy, there was some shuffling and then one explained:

This is about the Azherbaijanis and their mafia who keep prices up. It only applies to markets which sell 'producti' - vegetables through to cheap footwear and doesn't apply across the spectrum.

Both felt something needed to be done about it. So it wasn't really one of those sudden decisions, as I originally thought. There's been pressure for some time and the legislation was actually passed at the end of last year.