Russia’s total trade reached about US$745 billion during 2025, also showcasing a significant, albeit shifting, trade surplus of about US$120 billion. In this section we cover all news concerning Russian trade developments, with Russian exporters increasingly reaching out into new markets on a global basis as it pivots away from the West. This is the definitive source on Russian trade. Get the latest data, analysis, and news on Russia’s import/export activities, trade agreements, and increasing commercial partnerships with the Global South.
Moscow and Beijing are looking to a barter trade system to overcome the hesitancy of Chinese banks to run foul of US sanctions in conducting cross-border financial transactions with Russia. The moves, which are expected to be temporary, come as the two sides are trying to limit the transactional use of the SWIFT banking system. […]
The volume of air freight transported overseas by Russian airlines in H1 2024 amounted to 63,400 tonnes, 3% more than in the same period of 2023, according to statistics from the Federal Air Transport Agency. To compare, in the first 6 months of 2022, which saw international air cargo at 196,000 tonnes meaning that slow […]
Update – August 14: A result of the Putin-Abbas meeting, Palestine has been invited attend October’s annual BRICS heads of state conference, which will be taking place in Kazan. Abbas stated that “A particular format will be organized and will be devoted exclusively to Palestine, so that all BRICS members and other guest attendees can […]
Russia’s natural resource trade with China exceeded US$65 billion in H1 2024, according to China’s Ministry of Customs, reaching record levels. Overall, Russian exports of natural resources to China increased by 4% over the same period last year, year-on-year, reaching a new high of US$65.2 billion between January and June of this year. Oil and […]
Russia has been supplying record volumes of fertilizers to Brazil, a fellow BRICS member, according to Brazilian customs data. Brazil is the world’s biggest importer of soil enhancers, with imports from Russia exceeding 1 million tons over the three consecutive months – May, June and July. Monthly shipments reached an average 1,140,000 tons, a growth […]
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Several Western airlines are pulling out of routes servicing China as sanctions have forced Western carriers to incur greater operational costs by avoiding Russian airspace. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Quantas are just three who are giving up what were lucrative direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai. Other, BRICS and BRICS related airlines are now […]
The 2022 price cap on oil sanctions that placed a limit of US$60 per barrel on Russian crude, are another example where ill-thought out economic policies matched with related geopolitical movements have instead created problems for the West’s own shipping supply chains. The oil cap sanctions, introduced in September 2022, were intended to limit the […]
Russia’s Unified Electronic Visa system for entry into Russia has been in operation now for exactly one year, with 540,900 foreign nationals using it to enter Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry has released data for the period August 2023 to July 2024. Bear in mind these figures are for E-Visas only and do not include […]
Russia’s energy development strategy continues in the Sahel region of Africa, where engineers from the Rosatom, the state nuclear energy company, are on a four-day visit to Burkina Faso to discuss building a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the country. Burkina Faso, previously the French colony of Upper Volta, is one of the world’s least […]
Buyers in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) region now dominate Russia’s grain exports, with Saudi Arabia the biggest buyer of Russian grain in July, the first month of the new agricultural season, according to the Russian Grain Exporters Union. Russia has become the dominant global exporter of wheat in recent years. Egypt was second, […]
The container turnover of Russian seaports in January-June 2024 amounted to 2.744 million TEU, 14% more than in the same period of 2023, according to the analytical review of Morcentre-TEK. In general, according to the Morcentre’s data, 987,500 TEU – an increase of 15.8% – were loaded for exports, with imports up 15.9% at 1.15 […]
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