Russia actively courts investment from “friendly” nations like India and China, focusing on sectors like tech, energy, infrastructure (PPPs), and non-Western markets through forums like BRICS and the CIS, targeting growth in specific areas like high-tech manufacturing, aviation, and automotive. Russia’s FDI investment stock is worth about US$326 billion. At the same time, Russia also actively invests in emerging economies throughout the Global South, and particularly in areas that can boost its exports. This section provides expert analysis, market trends, and risk assessment for foreign investors looking to capitalize on the inbound and outbound Russian investment market.
The Joint Russia-Myanmar Commission For Trade & Economic Cooperation was held in Moscow this week, with Russia and Myanmar expanding their bilateral trade and economic ties through long-term commodity agreements, joint infrastructure projects, and alternative settlement mechanisms. Bilateral trade turnover has been scaling up, with total trade values close to US$2 billion.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE have signed an MoU to cooperate on the proposed Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project, also known as the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA). If completed, it would give the region access to Pakistani seaports. This also has implications for Russian exports. We discuss the latest developments and what this means for Russian trade potential.
Chinese investors are interested in Russia’s Udokan copper deposits in Zabaykalsky – one of the world’s largest in terms of reserves. The Udokan copper deposit holds an estimated 26.7 million tonnes of copper resources, equating to about 19.6 million tonnes of metal. Copper is a critical metal with numerous applications in the electronics industry.
Russia’s Rosatom is awaiting approval from the Namibian government for a uranium mining project with a decision expected shortly, according to Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom’s CEO. Namibia is a very active player in the global natural uranium market, and ranks in the top five uranium-producing countries globally.
Russia’s Rosatom are making a feasibility study for the proposed Bugula lithium production project in Mali commencing in 2027, which if satisfactory will see the start of construction of the mining and processing plant (MPP) scheduled for 2028, the company has stated. Rosatom also expects to attract investors from friendly countries. Mali is also looking to build numerous small NPP reactors, which could turn it into an electricity exporter.
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Mozambique is looking to engage with Russia’s energy companies Rosneft, Gazprom and Novatek in the development of its LNG industry. The Mozambique LNG project is a US$20 billion onshore liquefied natural gas development located on the Afungi peninsula in Cabo Delgado province, with Russian participants interested in the Rovuma basin area.
Russia is eying involvement in Tajikistan’s proposed Hualon Hydropower Plant, with a planned capacity exceeding 2.5 billion kWh. However, Russia is acting cautiously and prefers the construction of wind farms to solve Tajikistan’s winter energy requirements. Discussions are continuing.
Georgia’s state-owned Georgian Railways have purchased 200 new freight railcars from Russia’s JSC Roslavl Railcars, in a deal worth the equivalent of US$9.6 million, payable in rubles. The contract also provides for maintenance and repair works. Most of the cars are gondolas used for transporting minerals.
The Russian taxi ordering service WB Taxi is launching early access for users in Yerevan, Wildberries & Russ (RWB) has announced. Users can download the mobile application and leave a request to connect. In the coming weeks, access to the service will gradually be expanded across Armenia.
The Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have agreed a Joint Action Plan to cover the period 2027-2030. This covers important trade development areas including digitalization, information and communication technologies, customs regulation, agro-industry, food security, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, consumer protection, green-economy issues and information exchange. We deep dive the contents to explain exactly what this means and the impact on EAEU and SCO members.
Russia’s trade with the Global South and ‘friendly’ countries now accounts for 85% of its total, reaching about US$299 billion in H1 2026. The West provides just 15% of Russia’s economic trade and continues to decline. We examine the main Global South trade partners in all regions, and provide the latest H1 2026 trade data. There are some surprising results for those who assume Russia only trades oil with China and India. The non-energy sector on a worldwide basis is increasingly dominant as Global South trade volumes continue a Russian growth trajectory.
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