Russia's Pivot to Asia

The Price Of Oil And The Value Of The Ruble – 2026 Forward Analysis russiaspivottoasia.com/the-price-of-o… The crisis in the Middle East is drastically affecting Russian oil prices and creating fluctuations in the value of the Ruble. We examine the implications, how the Russian government is benefiting, while at the same time being cautious and managing the situation. We provide analysis of how these issues can be expected to impact the Russian economy and the Russian domestic consumer over the course of this year.

Russia’s Arkhangelsk and Chinese Shipping Company Agree MOU for 2026 “Arctic Express” Maritime Services Schedule russiaspivottoasia.com/russias-arkhan… Russia's Arkhangelsk Port and the Chinese NewNew Shipping Company have agreed an MoU on the volumes of shipping the maritime services provider will utilise along the Northern Sea Route this year. It will be an increase on last years 14 voyages.

Massive Import-Export Warehousing Facilities Being Built In Primorye russiaspivottoasia.com/massive-import… Huge warehousing and logistics facilities are being built in Russia's Far East Primorye region, with the Logopark Primorye company, an investor in the Primorye Priority Development Area, investing over US$64 million to build 89,000 square metres of facilities for the storage, processing, and distribution of goods. China is a primary market.

Khabarovsk Highway To Be Extended to Border With China At Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island russiaspivottoasia.com/khabarovsk-hig… Russia is to upgrade and extend the Khabarovsk Highway to include a specific Bolshoy Ussuri Island exit that will lead directly to the border crossing in China. The checkpoint will be fully operational in 2028 and will be able to process 250 trucks, 50 buses, and 100 passenger cars per day, with a total annual cargo turnover of 1.3 million tonnes. At present the crossing is conducted by ferry across the Amur River.

Russia’s RZD Logistics Contracting Rail Transport To India and China russiaspivottoasia.com/russias-rzd-lo… Russia's RZD Logistics are reporting an easing of rail transport problems along the INSTC and are saying that trains servicing the routes via Iran are now being booked for the March and April.

Something For Sunday: The Violence Of Spring As spring descends after a long winter, we turn to a celebration of the season – accurately displayed by Stravinsky as ‘seasonal violence’. He was referring to the cracking of ice, the gushing of meltwater, falling wood, unbound from their frozen bonds, the emergence of bird songs – and the glorification of ancient Gods to make the land warm and fertile again. To illustrate that, Stravinsky ended up changing the world of classical music and dance forever. Working with the spiritual artist Nicholas Roerich and the not-quite sane choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky, Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” – a ballet – created a violent reaction (just like the transformation from winter to spring) when it was first performed. Out went pretty tutus and melodies. In was human sacrifice, pounding, incessant rhythms and de-constructed, spastic, primitive dance. On its premiere, when a chosen girl must dance herself to death to pacify the Gods and grant a good harvest - the audience were so enraged at what they were seeing they smashed up the theatre. Here is that dance: youtube.com/watch?v=cbNmgd…

Russian Foreign Minister Meets With ASEAN Ambassadors In Moscow russiaspivottoasia.com/russian-foreig… The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with the Ambassadors of all of the ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, in Moscow. They discussed improving Russia's multilateral trade with the bloc as well as developing relations between ASEAN and BRICS, the Eurasian Economic Union and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Direct Flights Minsk To Vietnam’s Nha Trang Introduced russiaspivottoasia.com/direct-flights… Belarus is starting to become another air corridor to the Far East as Belarus introduces thrice-weekly direct flights to Nha Trang in Vietnam, a popular coastal resort on the South China Sea.

Russia Delivers Humanitarian Aid To Mozambique russiaspivottoasia.com/russia-deliver… Russia has delivered 29 tons of humanitarian aid to Mozambique, sent via the huge Ilyushin IL-76 transport aircraft. The airlift delivered food supplies, essential items, as well as tents and blankets for the population affected by flooding in Mozambique.

Middle East Logistics Shocks For Russian Imports russiaspivottoasia.com/middle-east-lo… The Russian domestic consumer market can expect supply chain difficulties due to the United States and Israeli attacks on Iran. We explain the developing logistics bottlenecks, which products are likely to be impacted and expected price rises.

India Discussing Russian Fertilizer Import Increases As Middle East And Chinese Supply Chains Are Squeezed russiaspivottoasia.com/india-discussi… India is discussing increasing the supplies of fertilizer from Russia as imports from the Middle East have ceased and China has also prohibited exports. The Indian summer crop planting season has begun and lasts through until the start of the June monsoon season, meaning the situation is becoming time critical.

Sweet: Russian Agricultural Exports To Uzbekistan Up 19% In 2025 russiaspivottoasia.com/sweet-russian-… Russia's agricultural exports to Uzbekistan rose 19% last year, with sugar amongst the best performing items. Russian chocolate, soybean meal, sunflower oil and margarine all showed signifcant increases.

Russian To Be Taught As A Primary Foreign Language In Cuba russiaspivottoasia.com/russian-to-be-… Russian is to be taught as the primary second language after Cuban Spanish in Cuba to better prepare students for engagement with Russian tourists and further Russian education possibilities in the country. It is one of several nations enaging more with Russian language to encourage trade, tourism and investment ties.

St. Petersburg Exchange Opens Office In Beijing russiaspivottoasia.com/st-petersburg-… The St.Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) has established a Representative Office in Beijing to assist develop Russia-China commodities trade. It has already signed cooperation agreements with various Chinese exchanges in Shanghai, Qingdao and Xinjiang. SPIMEX trades in oil and petroleum products, petrochemicals, gas, coal, timber, metals, construction materials, agricultural products, and mineral fertilizers.

Russia Eyes Increased Zirconium Concentrate Exports To Asia russiaspivottoasia.com/russia-eyes-in… Russia’s Tugansk Mining and Processing Plant in Tomsk is investing over US$500 million to upgrade its production of zirconium concentrate to both dominate the domestic Russian market and become an exporter to Asia. Zirconium concentrate is a valuable mineral resource with a wide range of applications across various new tech and energy industries.

Russia To Export Groats To South Asia russiaspivottoasia.com/russia-to-expo… Russia's Rosatom and Resurs of Chelyabinsk have signed agreements to exports and supply groats to several Asian markets due to increasing consumer demand. delivery will be by rail to Vladivostok and by shipping to Asian ports although overland deliveries are also being worked out. Global consumption of groats is rapidly increasing.

The Philippines Becomes Russia’s Third Largest Buyer Of Pork russiaspivottoasia.com/the-philippine… The Philippines has become the third largest importer of Russian pork after Vietnam and China, and ahead of Hong Kong and Mongolia. The world's largest pork consumers per capita are in Europe, with Russia's supplies to Asia adequately showcasing the changing supply chains in global markets.