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

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

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.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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