The Russian Federation: nature and economy

Russia’s economy is industrial in character and rests on the fuel-energy complex. The country is first in the world for natural gas reserves and among the leaders for oil and coal; it is among the top three producers of oil and gas. The biggest region is West Siberia. About two thirds of electricity comes from thermal stations, the rest from hydro and nuclear plants. Ferrous metallurgy relies on the Ural, Kuznetsk and Kursk ore and coal bases, and Russia is among the top five steel producers; in non-ferrous metals aluminium, nickel, copper and gold matter, and the biggest plants are in Eastern Siberia (beside the Yenisei and Angara hydropower stations). In engineering, aerospace technology, power equipment, cars and farm machinery stand out; in chemicals, mineral fertilisers lead on the world market. In agriculture productive land is relatively scarce (about 10 % of the territory); the main farming belt is the steppe and forest-steppe in the south: wheat, barley, sunflower, sugar beet and potatoes, and Russia is a major wheat exporter. Livestock includes cattle, pigs and poultry, with reindeer herding in the north. In transport the railway is key; the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok is among the longest in the world (about 9,300 km). The Volga is the core of inland waterways. Russia is one of the countries with developed trade and labour links with Uzbekistan. After 2022 many Western states imposed economic restrictions on Russia, and Russia has redirected more trade toward Asian partners (China, India, Türkiye), which is changing the structure of its exports and imports.