MOSCOW, Russia / Eurasian Newswire / – Russian exports to Asian countries rose 17.7% to $277.5 billion in January to September 2026, driving a 13.2% increase in the country’s foreign trade surplus to $116.8 billion, according to the Federal Customs Service. Imports from Asia increased 17.6% to $158.1 billion. Asia accounted for about 80% of Russia’s exports and almost 69% of its imports over the nine months.
Total exports rose by $41.9 billion to $346.5 billion, while imports grew by $28.3 billion to $229.7 billion. Foreign trade turnover increased 13.9% to $576.2 billion, TASS reported, citing official figures. The nine-month surplus compares with $102.9 billion for January to August, when it was up 16.4% year on year, according to Interfax. That points to a September surplus of about $13.9 billion. On that basis, the surplus for the first nine months of 2025 was about $103.2 billion.
Trade with other regions was weaker. Exports to Europe grew 2.3% to $44.5 billion, while imports from European countries rose 8.9% to $56.2 billion. Exports to Africa slipped 0.7% to $15.8 billion, and imports edged up 7.3% to $3.6 billion. Supplies to North and South America fell 7.8% to $8.6 billion, with imports down 1% to $11.7 billion. Russia ran a trade deficit with both Europe and the Americas.
Commodities and metals lead exports
Mineral products remained the backbone of Russian exports, totalling $194.8 billion, up 14.3%. The category includes crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and coal, and made up about 56% of all exports. Metals and metal products were the second-largest export group, rising 21.8% to $63.5 billion. Agricultural exports rose 15.6% to $31.8 billion. Russia’s gas output rose 3.3% to 495.4 billion cubic metres in the same nine months.
Asian demand has been central to Russia’s trade since 2022, as Western sanctions pushed exporters to redirect supplies. India is among the key partners, and the two countries have set a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Exports to Asia grew far faster than those to Europe, Africa or the Americas. Asia accounted for almost all of the $41.9 billion increase in total exports.
Machinery tops import list
On the import side, machinery, equipment and transport vehicles were the largest category. Purchases rose 16.1% to $112.4 billion, nearly half of total imports. Chemical products followed with a gain of 11.3% to $44.8 billion, and agricultural products rose 4.3% to $32.6 billion. Together, the three groups made up about 83% of imports. Agricultural imports slightly exceeded agricultural exports over the period. Imports overall grew by about 14%, slightly faster than exports.
The trade surplus had weakened at the start of the year, shrinking 3.36% in January to April, before rebounding to a 14% rise in the first half, when it reached $73.4 billion. The surplus also improved on 2025, when it fell 8.17% for the year as a whole. Data from the Federal Customs Service cover trade in goods only. Customs figures are a key indicator of Russia’s export earnings.