Russia’s Foreign Trade in H1 2020: Reduction in the Trade Turnover in the Wake of Pandemic

Alexander Yu. Knobel – Head of Foreign Trade Department of the Gaidar Institute; Director of Center for Foreign Trade Department of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Candidate of Economic Sciences (Moscow, Russia). Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alexander S. Firanchuk – Senior Researcher of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Moscow, Russia). Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In H1 2020, exports of fuel and energy commodities decreased by 34% because of a drop in global prices on energy resources. The non-oil and gas exports increased by 2.8% in value terms against the backdrop of decline in global prices on some commodities of this group (6.5%), however, it was made up for by twofold growth in supplies of precious stones and metals. Imports fell by 6.5% owing primarily to the contraction of Russian GDP amidst pandemic.

Key words: foreign trade, exports, imports, pandemic.