The deepening crisis in Russia's coal industry continues to strike adjacent sectors of the Russian economy. Rail transport has been especially affected by the lack of freight—during the first quarter of 2025, the volume of coal exports transported by Russian railways to the ports of the Azov, Black, and Baltic Seas significantly decreased.
The main cause of this decline is the inability of coal companies to meet the declared delivery volumes.
"The share of undelivered coal reached 30% of previously ordered amounts. As a result, the railway monopoly has been forced to maintain surplus wagons that remain idle," the message by te Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service reads.
As of April 2025, the excess of rail cars in Russia has reached 295,000 units. This creates additional strain on infrastructure and increases maintenance costs. This situation reflects significant imbalances in the internal supply chain.
The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service forecasts that sanctions and problems with exports to traditionally high-profit markets will continue to complicate the functioning of the industry. The deepening crisis, in turn, could not only collapse the coal industry but also the entire transportation system of Russia.
