(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) – The Russian government has initiated a trade war against its regional allies, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Russian customs officials, rather than military personnel, have advanced to the borders as Moscow introduces permanent border controls to shield its domestic market from unapproved imports. Alexei Overchuk, the deputy to the Russian Prime Minister, announced that these measures are designed to prevent goods that compete with Russian producers from entering the country. He confirmed the controls are permanent and noted that…