Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Weird stuff the US buys from Russia

Weird stuff the US buys from Russia
Make us preferred on Google

Bad news for anyone in America smoking a pipe on a recreational boat while playing a percussion instrument in a wig: the war in Ukraine could make your life a lot less colorful if Washington decides to sanction more US imports from Russia. All of those items are among the things the US buys from Russia, with love, every year.

So in the meantime, take a picture of them and print it on photo paper, then scrub your hands in a plastic washbasin, get a snack from the nearest vending machine, and settle in with a good children's picture book to read. When you are finished, take a moment to reflect on why, with Russia's help, you are such an unbelievably weird person.

Check out some of the weird and wild products America imports from Russia each year below.

Russian pipes still draw fans in America. Or at least they did until February 2022.

Value of US imports in 2020. Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity


More For You

Members of the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Moldova's President Maia Sandu, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi, EU Council President Antonio Costa and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, Latvia's Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard attend the Coalition of the Willing meeting, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 24, 2026.

HENRY NICHOLLS/Pool via REUTERS
“Coalition of the Willing” summit begins in KyivThe gathering today, which falls on the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, brings together nearly three dozen European countries supporting Ukraine with financial and military aid against Russia. Top on the agenda is Kyiv’s urgent request for more air defenses ahead of [...]
A ball that's about much more than sports
Will Fitzpatrick
One sports fan this weekend took home an important piece of soccer history: the ball Diego Maradona famously punched into the net with his left hand against England during the 1986 World Cup. The controversial “Hand of God” goal helped knock England out of the tournament, just four years after the two countries fought the Falklands War. It also [...]
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
China rebuffs US economic threats over Iran Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened “tremendous economic consequences” for countries that do business with Iran as Washington tries to squeeze Tehran economically. China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, quickly rejected the warning. On Thursday, Beijing said that US pressure would not [...]
The world’s oldest president returns to his post
He’s back! The 93-year-old finally returned from his “brief private stay in Europe,” during which rumors abounded about his health and ability to govern. Biya, the world’s oldest president, has led the Central African country since 1982 and has previously disappeared from public view for extended periods. Many worry about what would happen if Biya [...]