Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline

News

Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline

06.04.2026 News

The pro-Kremlin Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting (CMASF) reports stagnation in Russian industry at the beginning of 2026, despite traditionally optimistic official statistics.

According to Rosstat, industrial production grew by a combined 1.7% in December–February. However, CMASF estimates paint the opposite picture: after a short-term rise in December, output fell by 0.6% in January and only partially recovered in February. Overall, a decline of 0.3% was recorded over the three-month period.

“Civilian sectors of Russian industry accelerated their decline at the start of 2026,” the Kremlin-aligned analytical center stated.

The sectoral breakdown is even more pessimistic. In February, production of construction materials fell by 1.4%, ferrous metallurgy by 1.1%, and machine building by 2.2%. The combined contribution of most industries remains negative at minus 0.8%, including oil refining and metallurgy.

The S&P Global March PMI index dropped to 48.3 from 49.5 in February — the lowest level in three months (the 50 mark separates growth from contraction). Output has been declining for 13 consecutive months, while export demand has been falling for five months in a row. Purchasing activity has collapsed at the fastest pace in four years, as companies cut raw material purchases due to declining orders and rising fuel prices. Employment in the sector has been decreasing for the fourth consecutive month.

Russia’s metallurgy sector, long considered a flagship of the country’s economy and a stable source of foreign currency revenue, has entered a systemic crisis in 2025–2026. Profitability across the industry has dropped to 9.6%, below the cost of servicing debt. Ural Steel, a city-forming enterprise in Novotroitsk, a leader in bridge steel production and a key contractor for state defense orders, went from a profit of 11 billion rubles to a net loss of over 22 billion within a year. Tax authorities have been forced to manually defer debt collection under court rulings until the end of April to prevent the plant’s shutdown and the layoff of 9,000 employees. Meanwhile, the metallurgical giant Severstal reported a fivefold drop in profit and a 42% decline in EBITDA.

Small and medium-sized businesses have been hit by a double blow — falling demand and rising tax burdens. Nearly half of businesses recorded a collapse in profits in 2025. The number of enterprises in the trade sector alone decreased by 11,500. In 2026, an additional 250,000–300,000 companies could disappear.

At the same time, wage arrears in Russia increased 1.7 times over the year, reaching approximately 2 billion rubles. According to experts, 99% of delayed payments are due to companies lacking funds. As of the end of 2025, hundreds of thousands of workers were already on forced downtime.

The only remaining support for production is state financing, but even that is not ensuring sustainable growth. By the end of 2025, Russia’s public debt increased by 21%, or 6.1 trillion rubles, reaching 35.1 trillion rubles. Weakening investment activity and domestic demand are accelerating the transition from stagnation to a full-scale downturn.

Other articles

  • Europe Has Invested Nearly €200 Billion in Electric Vehicles
    News

    Europe Has Invested Nearly €200 Billion in Electric Vehicles

    European countries continue to increase investments in the electric vehicle sector despite a slowdown in the market and the easing of environmental requirements. According to Reuters, countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland have already attracted nearly €200 billion for the development of the EV ecosystem. According to a study by the analytical group […]

  • German Banks Carry Out Mass Account Freezes for Russians
    News

    German Banks Carry Out Mass Account Freezes for Russians

    German banks have carried out another wave of account freezes, depriving Russians of access to their funds. This was reported by the news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW), citing eyewitnesses holding “Russian passports.” Russians complain that banks are freezing accounts and sending letters demanding that they provide residence permits within 14 days. Several clients of Sparkasse […]

  • Western Fuel and Energy Company Receives Batch of New Tank Cars
    News

    Western Fuel and Energy Company Receives Batch of New Tank Cars

    The Kryukiv Railway Car Building Works (KVBZ) has delivered a batch of new tank cars to the Western Fuel and Energy Company (ZPEK). This was reported by the plant’s press service. “ZPEK LLC’s investment program for the purchase of rolling stock amounts to approximately UAH 250–300 million. Under the signed agreement, KVBZ is currently manufacturing […]

  • “Iran War”: U.S. Inflation Reaches Highest Level Since 2023
    News

    “Iran War”: U.S. Inflation Reaches Highest Level Since 2023

    The pace of consumer price growth in the United States in April reached its highest level since the spring of 2023. The main reason was a sharp rise in energy prices caused by the war with Iran, particularly the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by the New York Times, citing data […]

  • Ukraine’s trade turnover reached $46.1 billion since the beginning of the year
    News

    Ukraine’s trade turnover reached $46.1 billion since the beginning of the year

    Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine’s trade turnover has amounted to $46.1 billion. During January–March, Ukraine imported goods worth $32.2 billion, while exports totaled $13.9 billion. This was reported by the State Customs Service. Taxable imports amounted to $22.3 billion, or 69% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 […]

  • Qatar sends LNG tanker through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time
    News

    Qatar sends LNG tanker through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time

    Qatar has managed to send a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the start of the war with Iran, Bloomberg reports. Vessel tracking data shows that the LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat, which was loaded earlier this month at Qatar’s Ras Laffan export terminal, has already exited […]

  • Oil inventories near “operational minimum”
    News

    Oil inventories near “operational minimum”

    Global oil inventories are shrinking rapidly due to supply disruptions from the Persian Gulf caused by restrictions on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing regional conflict. These developments are increasing the risk of fuel shortages and market price instability, Bloomberg reports. According to estimates, between March 1 and April 25 global […]

  • Pentagon buys interceptor drones from a company backed by Trump’s sons
    News

    Pentagon buys interceptor drones from a company backed by Trump’s sons

    The U.S. Air Force has agreed to purchase an initial batch of interceptor drones from Powerus, a company backed by investments from the sons of U.S. President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports. The company will deliver the drones to the Pentagon following a demonstration at a base in Arizona, according to co-founder and president Brett Velicovich. […]

Read also

Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Samsung Cancels Galaxy S26 Edge Due to Weak Sales of Its Predecessor

Samsung has decided to cancel the release of the Galaxy S26 Edge, which was intended to continue the company’s thin and lightweight smartphone line. According to GSMArena, the decision comes as a result of poor sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge, which performed significantly below expectations. Analysts at Hana Investment & Securities report that as […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

NBU Explains Acceleration of Inflation in Ukraine

Inflation in Ukraine has accelerated: prices rose by 7.9% year-on-year and by 1.7% in March alone. The main reasons were rising fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East and higher global oil prices, according to a statement published on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine. Higher fuel and oil prices […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Oil Shipments Through the Strait of Hormuz Collapse by 97%

Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have collapsed amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, with supplies now far below normal levels. This is stated in a new report by Goldman Sachs. The bank estimates that average daily flows through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped by 97% compared with normal […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

France’s largest bank bought a stake in the Ukrainian gas company

The financial conglomerate BNP Paribas (headquartered in Paris) acquired indirectly 11.42% of the British JKX Oil&Gas, which owns the Poltava Petroleum Company. This is stated in the message  of the JKX Oil&Gas reported on the London Stock Exchange. The owner of the package of the JKX at a rate of 11,42% became the British company […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

ChatGPT готується до запуску реклами вже цього тижня

Основний продукт OpenAI, чат-бот ChatGPT, знову демонструє стабільне зростання аудиторії, перевищуючи 10% за місяць. Як повідомляє CNBC, про це співробітникам компанії повідомив генеральний директор OpenAI Сем Альтман. За його словами, наразі ChatGPT щотижня використовують понад 800 млн людей, а вже цього тижня компанія планує запустити нову модель чат-бота. Окремо Альтман відзначив вибухове зростання Codex – інструменту OpenAI […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Odessa Port Plant to pass into the private ownership

On June 30, 2016 the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) plans to launch tender for the privatization of the  99, 6% shares of one of the country’s largest manufacturers of chemical products – Odessa Port Plant. “Carrying out of competition for the sale of stock of shares with an open offer of cost on […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

The new owner of Boguslavskiy zavod prodtovariv and fish processing plant Vohni Hestii will be Fozzy Group

One of the biggest Ukrainian trade and industrial groups Fozzy Group, which is a part of PJSC Holding Invest (Kyiv), has received permission from the Antimonopoly Committee for the purchase of Boguslavskii zavod prodtovariv (Kyiv region, city Bohuslav) and a plant for fish processing Vohni hestii (legal address – Kyiv, physical address – Zhytomyr). This […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Tesla has more than doubled its supply of electric vehicles in a year

Tesla published statistics on cars produced and delivered in the first quarter of 2021. According to the company, it produced 180,338 cars in three months, delivered 184,800 cars to buyers. For comparison: for the same period in 2020, Tesla produced 102,672 cars, delivered – 88,400. During the year, production and deliveries increased by almost 76% […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Odessa Port Plant receives a new manager?

Direction of LLC Development Construction Holding (DCH), whose president is Oleksander Yaroslavskyi, is considering to lease the OPP instead of the acquisition of assets of this PJSC, reported Zn.ua. In an official statement of OPP representatives was indicated that they appealed to the State Property Fund of Ukraine in order to initiate an open competition […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Discounts on Russian Oil in India Rise to $6 Due to U.S. Sanctions

Discounts on Russian Urals crude in Indian ports have tripled compared to August and now stand at $5–6 per barrel below dated Brent. This comes as a result of tightened U.S. sanctions, which have prompted key buyers to start refusing Russian oil. Reuters reported this, citing three industry sources. In October, Washington strengthened restrictions against […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Naftogaz has increased oil production in Egypt

The joint venture of Naftogaz of Ukraine and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation – Petrosannan Company – has added 20%, or 600 barrels per day, to oil production in the Western Desert of Egypt, the company’s press service reports. This was reportedly made possible by fracturing in the pilot wells. It is noted that if […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

The supervisory authorities have fined the operator Orange for the record sum of € 350 million

Regulators fined the largest French mobile operator – The Orange Company in the amount of € 350 million. The reason for the fine is the abuse of a dominant market position. The supervisory authorities of France conducted an investigation and determined that since the early 2000, Orange fraudulently suppressed the competition in their field. The […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

War Costs Persian Gulf Countries $15 Billion

Countries of the Persian Gulf have lost about $15.1 billion in energy revenues since the start of strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, according to estimates by analytics firm Kpler, reported by Financial Times. Analysts estimate that under normal conditions, oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas worth around $1.2 billion pass […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

“Gazprom” filed a lawsuit against the AMCU due to the fine of 86 billion UAH

According to the sources, “Gazprom”, JSC demands to annul the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) of the fine in the amount of 85.966 billion UAH through the Commercial Court of Kiev. The claim is registered in the court on April, 12. “Naftogaz of Ukraine” and “Ukrtransgaz” must be the third parties in […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

The Cabinet of Ministers has changed the terms of the available loans

The Cabinet of Ministers has made changes to the Affordable Loans program of 5-7-9%. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Finance. In particular, the maximum level of annual income of enterprises was raised to the equivalent of 10 million euros, and the current requirement for the mandatory business profitability has […]

Next
Russia’s industrial sector is accelerating its decline
News

Ukraine allows lithium mining to investors linked to Trump

On January 8, Ukraine granted the right to mine lithium at the large state-owned Dobra deposit to investors that include billionaire Ronald Lauder, a friend of U.S. President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports. “The decision was made by a Ukrainian government commission, according to two members of the commission who spoke on condition […]

Next
WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com