"Russian Railways" cargo transportation fell to a minimum amid sanctions and cooling of the Russian economy - intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
By the end of 2025, the volume of cargo transportation by "Russian Railways" decreased by 5.6%, which is the lowest figure since 2009. This is a consequence of Western sanctions and the cooling of economic activity in Russia.
According to the results of 2025, the volume of freight traffic on the Russian Railways network decreased by 5.6%, which was the lowest figure since 2009. As reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service, such dynamics are a consequence of Western sanctions and a general cooling of economic activity in Russia, UNN reports.
Details
According to intelligence data, the decline has been ongoing for the fourth consecutive year, following a 3.7% decrease in 2022, 0.1% in 2023, and 4.1% in 2024. Official statistics also record a 1.8% reduction in freight turnover, indicating not only smaller volumes but also a decrease in the average transportation distance. According to industry analysts, the real scale of the problem may be significantly deeper than what the reported data reflects.
A decline was recorded in 13 out of 15 key cargo categories. The sharpest reduction occurred in ferrous metallurgy: transportation of ferrous metals decreased by 17.7%, and scrap metal by 32.2%. A significant decrease also occurred in the segments of industrial raw materials (–16%), building materials (–10.5%), grain (–12.2%), and forest products (–5.9%). Energy supplies also went down, including oil and petroleum products by 5%, and coal by 2.1%.
Such dynamics are a consequence of Western sanctions and a general cooling of economic activity in Russia. As a result, a decrease in network utilization and a deterioration in financial results were recorded: in January–September 2025, the company recorded a loss of 55.8 million US dollars and cut its investment program for 2026 by 24%. Cost optimization already involves curtailing infrastructure projects and updating rolling stock, which accelerates the further degradation of the technical condition of the railway network against the backdrop of a weakening Russian economy, the intelligence service summarized.
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