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.
Rosatom’s CEO, Alexei Likhachev, has announced that the company is to build eight nuclear power plants in Iran. The country needs to rapidly change its energy mix, with just 6% of its electricity being generated from low-carbon sources in 2025, well below the global average of 41%. Electricity consumption is expected to increase from the current 340 TWh to over 400 TWh per capita by 2040.
A Chinese business and investment mission has travelled to Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Russian Far East, with investment projects involving a significant Sakhalin port development, seaweed harvesting, seafood and cosmetic mud exports, in addition to significant tourism developments. We examine what is happening as the region integrates further into the Asian economy despite Japanese political complaints.
Shipping freight transit along the Northern Sea Route is expected to have doubled by the end of this year, according to Vladimir Panov, the head of the Arctic Directorate and director of NSR and Arctic development at Rosatom. The overall 2026 cargo traffic along the route is expected to exceed a record 40 million tonnes.
The Russian and Moroccan Foreign Ministers have held a phone discussion ahead of a crucial United Nations Security Council resolution concerning the future of the Western Sahara. We examine the key issues at stake in a potential regional adjustment that could see Morocco gain full control of an area comprising 272,000 square kilometres with a population of 600,000. We also discuss the latest bilateral trade data.
The Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has met with the speaker of the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) Om Birla, in New Delhi. The two discussed bilateral parliamentary and legal links as well as bilateral trade, with Volodin saying that Russia-India trade had risen 24.3% in the first seven months of 2026.
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The 2026 Russia Energy Week has just concluded in Moscow, with about 6,600 participants and executives from 85 countries attending. The event combines energy trade discussions with industrial modernisation, nuclear technology exports, engineering cooperation and investment opportunities across Asian and other international markets. We examine what happened and the deals made.
The 2026 AgroProdMash event has recently taken place in Moscow, part of an aggressive overhaul of Russia’s food processing industry, involving technical re-equipment, modernizing food plants, and scaling up processing capabilities. There are opportunities for foreign suppliers to participate in this sector as Russia intends to increase agricultural production by 25% and boost agricultural exports by 1.5 times by 2030. We showcase the event and provide analysis and detail the agreements reached.
Uzbekistan’s Ferghana city has proposed setting up an Uzbek-Russia trading house in Primorsky Krai to allow better market access for its products to both Russian, Chinese and other Asian markets. This could establish a new commercial route for Uzbek fresh fruit, dried fruit and agricultural products into the Russian Far East, with potential onward shipments to China and Vietnam. Reciprocal sales channels would give Primorye seafood, dietary supplements, oils, household chemicals and other non-food products access to Uzbekistan’s expanding consumer market.
Russia’s Novatek is in discussions with Turkiye concerning supplies of LNG. Turkiye, like the EU, currently buys gas via spot prices from Russia, whereas it would be more advantageous (and less expensive) for both to agree long-term supply contracts. The EU has also been using more expensive spot prices to acquire Russian LNG, with prices close to tripling this year. Longer term supply contracts would have avoided this additional expense.
Russia is continuing to discuss visa-free travel for Bahrain and Kuwait nationals. This is already in effect with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Mutual tourism between Bahrain, Kuwait and Russia has been increasing.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, held talks with Rashid Meredov, the Turkmenistan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Turkmenistan is strategically positioned along the “Middle Corridor,” which serves as a crucial trade route between East and West and especially so given the developing INSTC routes between Russia, Iran and Central Asia via the Caspian Sea. We examine the latest bilateral trade and development issues.
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