The Russian economy is slowing down: railways cannot withstand the burden of war

Russian Railways’ freight transportation is showing a steady decline, indicating serious problems in the country’s economy. The drop in volumes has affected several strategically important sectors at once, from energy to agriculture.

This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

According to official data, in August 2025, 92.2 million tons of cargo were transported by the Russian Railways network, which is 5.4% less than in the same month last year. In total, since the beginning of the year, 738.8 million tons were transported, which is also 7.1% less than in the same period in 2024.

The largest volume reductions were recorded in the following categories:

Building materials – 15% drop

Ferrous metals – minus 17.3%

Hard coal – minus 3.6%

Petroleum products – a decrease of 4.9%, due to long-term repairs at Russian refineries

Grain – a 30.7% collapse caused by a poor harvest and export restrictions

Analysts note that the decrease in cargo flows indicates a decline in production in key sectors of the economy — in particular, construction, metallurgy, energy, and the agro-industrial complex.

There is also a decline in domestic demand, indicating a deeper systemic slowdown in the Russian economy. Taken together, this could signal the beginning of stagnation — even despite the Kremlin’s attempts to demonstrate “stability” amid war and sanctions pressure.

Let us recall that for the first time since the start of full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Russian state is spending almost half of all federal budget revenues on military needs. Every second ruble paid by taxpayers is directed to supporting the army and purchasing weapons.

As reported, the Russian IT sector has lost access to Western technologies due to sanctions, which is why it is experiencing a systemic crisis.

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