August 19, 2024

Made in Russia?


Made in Russia?
Director General Almaz-Antey Corp. Vladislav Menshikov, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and Director General of North-West Region Center of Almaz-Antey Corp. Michail Podvyaznikov. Zumlik, Wikimedia Commons

In 2014, immediately after Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Russian government set goals to reduce imports. Specifically, on August 6, 2014, the government introduced a ban on purchasing most food products from Western countries. Ten years later, journalists from the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta Evropa have analyzed the results of import substitution in several key industries and concluded that no significant success had been achieved, despite various preferences given to Russian producers, including credit, leasing, and priority in government procurement.

The best progress in import substitution has been in agriculture, with Russia becoming a meat exporter and fully self-sufficient in grain, vegetable oil, sugar, and fish. However, the country remains heavily dependent on seed imports.

The situation in other sectors is worse. In particular, plans to produce pharmaceutical substances — raw materials for the production of finished drugs — have failed. According to one expert, Russia's dependence on such raw material supplies may exceed 80 percent.

The aviation and automotive industries are in even worse shape. Only 33 percent of commercial flights are carried out on Russian aircraft, and these account for just 5 percent of passenger turnover, as most Russian planes in use are small. The start of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine severely disrupted the automotive industry, reducing the share of domestically produced cars to 46 percent, a figure that has decreased by 1.7 times, compared to 2021 levels.

To portray import substitution as a success, Russian officials have resorted to various tactics, including rebranding foreign goods as Russian or changing target goals.

You Might Also Like

A Regional Disparity
  • July 18, 2024

A Regional Disparity

Authorities spent ten times more money on barrage shelters in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast than in regions bordering Ukraine.
Good Riddance, McDonald's
  • June 09, 2024

Good Riddance, McDonald's

The head of a Russian consumer protections ministry expressed glee at the exit of McDonald's from Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955