The industrial sector of the Russian Federation is showing the worst performance in decades. According to Rosstat, in November 2025, the country’s industrial production volumes fell by 0.7% year-on-year, indicating the onset of a deep crisis in the sector. A particularly sharp decline was recorded in manufacturing — down 1% for the first time since February 2023.
This is reported by Business • Media
Sectors Beyond Raw Materials Have Slipped into Recession
While mineral extraction increased slightly by 0.7%, non-raw material production has entered a prolonged recession. The food industry sector is particularly concerning, as it has recorded its first production decline in 15 years, accelerating fivefold to 0.8%. There has been a significant reduction in output in the woodworking industry (down 9.1%) and in the chemical industry (down 1.7%). Over the 11 months of 2025, clothing production decreased by 2.4%, while furniture production fell by 7.5%.
Collapse in Key Industrial Sectors
Some industries have experienced a true collapse. Tractor production decreased by 61.6%, bulldozer production by 53.7%, and elevator production by 37.2%. The output of passenger cars was halved. The automotive industry has returned to the worst figures of 2022, showing a decline of 34.1%. Even the defense industry has not withstood the crisis: in November, the production of “finished metal products” (which includes military goods) fell by 1.6%. The production of other vehicles, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, slowed to 6.4% in November after an increase of 41% in October, representing a decrease of more than 80%.
In turn, top managers of the largest industrial companies in Russia reported that the sales situation for their products this year has become the worst since 1998. It is noted that the production plans of factories across Russia have been reduced to the lowest level in the last 16 years. The overall industrial optimism index has also fallen to its lowest since 2009.