Directions of movement: all modes of transport in the Russian Federation will be integrated into a single network

Russian transport is successfully operating under the conditions of sanctions. In the next six years, the country faces the task of linking all its types into a single backbone network, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at the Transport of Russia forum. Public, air, road, and rail transport and infrastructure are actively developing. By the end of 2025, the regions will receive 4,500 new buses, trolleybuses, trams and electric buses. During the year, six new terminals were opened in the country, and from 2022, the number of countries where you can fly directly from Russia has increased from 23 to 42. Special attention is being paid to unmanned technologies, said Andrei Nikitin, head of the Ministry of Transport, at a meeting with Vladimir Putin. About the successes achieved in the transport sector in 2025 and how the construction of the high—speed railway between the two capitals is progressing - in the Izvestia article.

How is transport developing in the face of sanctions

The contribution of the Russian transport industry to GDP by the end of 2025 is projected to be about 6%, that is, 13 trillion rubles, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at the Transport of Russia forum.

"The Russian transport complex was able not only to withstand unprecedented sanctions pressure, but also continues to move forward confidently," the head of the Cabinet emphasized.

This is confirmed by the figures. In the first nine months of 2025, 11.5 billion passengers were transported, and the growth along inland waterways reached almost 22%. At the same time, 70% of passenger traffic is accounted for by public transport, which is given special attention.

This is largely why in 2025 the regions will receive a total of about 4.5 thousand new buses, trolleybuses, trams and electric buses, which will significantly update their fleet.

According to Mishustin, in 2025, more than 74% of highways were brought up to standard condition.

"The president recently opened new and reconstructed roads in the Donetsk People's Republic, Dagestan, Krasnodar Territory, Sverdlovsk and Leningrad regions," the head of the Cabinet recalled.

Air travel is becoming more convenient and safer every year, and airports continue to expand. So, this year it was possible to launch six airport complexes — in Novokuznetsk, Tyumen, Mineralnye Vody, Yoshkar-Ola, Khabarovsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Compared to 2022, the number of countries with which we have direct flights has increased by 19, to date there are 42 of them, said Andrei Nikitin, head of the Ministry of Transport, at a meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Another important area was the development of railway transport, including high-speed. The development of the high-speed railway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg is currently underway.

— Work has been carried out along the entire length of the HSR route. Today, more than 10,000 people work at the construction site, almost four thousand pieces of equipment," Nikitin said.

According to the minister, a train is also being created that will run along this route. About 150 Russian enterprises are involved in industrial cooperation as part of the project to develop it.

— The train is being built, designed, and unique components are being developed. This is a project of full-fledged Russian transport sovereignty. Of course, in such conditions, in such a climate, no one has ever built a high-speed railway. And here we will be the first in the world, having fully provided ourselves with Russian technologies along the entire length," the minister stated.

Russian transport also plays an important role in international trade. In particular, in the first 9 months of 2025, Russia's cargo turnover with friendly countries increased by 4% year-on-year. At the same time, after the sanctions were imposed, Russian transport faced a number of serious problems due to the fact that the directions for international trade had changed dramatically, and this required the construction of new logistics, Georgy Ostapkovich, research director at the HSE Center for Market Research, told Izvestia.

The prospects of unmanned transport

In the next six years, it is necessary to link all modes of transport in the Russian Federation into a single backbone network — this is the goal set for the government by Mikhail Mishustin. For this, regions, entrepreneurs, builders and industrialists will have to join forces.

"In six years, we will have to complete a very difficult task, taking into account the scale of the country — to connect all modes of transport into a single backbone network and significantly increase its capacity, which will require fundamental changes in approaches to logistics with the introduction of the most advanced methods, digital solutions and innovations," he said.

Such a task looks realistic, provided that strong investment flows are directed into the transport sector, Georgy Ostapkovich said.

— It all depends on the level of financing. If, conditionally, investments in transport infrastructure are doubled, then any tasks can be solved and the railway, automobile, river, and marine complexes can be connected into a single network," says the economist.

Since the beginning of its development, it has become especially important to indulge in unmanned technologies, including for civilian purposes. In this direction, Russia should become one of the world leaders, Mishustin said. Among other things, the use of unmanned taxis, trams and trains will be expanded.

This topic was also discussed in the Kremlin. A new profession has appeared in the aviation industry — the operator of an unmanned aircraft, Andrey Nikitin told Vladimir Putin. The President, in turn, noted that the participants of their activities are doing well in this area. The minister also spoke about the development of unmanned cargo transport.

— These trucks are actively moving along the M-11 (Moscow – Petersburg. — Ed.) and CCADu. Next year they will be released on the M-12 (Moscow – Tyumen. — Ed.). We are preparing the relevant legislation, and gradually it will become commonplace to transport goods by unmanned trucks," Andrey Nikitin assured the President.

Finally, Russian transport faces ambitious challenges in the international sphere. In particular, in the next five years, cargo transportation along international corridors passing through the Russian Federation should increase by one and a half times and return to the values of 2021. Among the priority routes are the Azov—Black Sea, the Eastern direction, as well as the international North-South corridor. Russia is also ready to cooperate with India, China and other countries on the use of the Transarctic Transport Corridor. Its key section runs along the Northern Sea Route.