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

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.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
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.
Survival Russian

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.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.

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