The deterioration of the Russian economy is starting to be felt by more and more Russian companies. Thus, according to the results of January-June of this year, the share of loss-making organizations increased by 2.3 percentage points and reached 30.4% – the highest since 2020, when 35% of Russian enterprises were operating in the red due to the pandemic. 

This is evidenced by Rosstat data, The Moscow Times reports .

According to official statistics, in the first half of 2025, 43 thousand organizations received profits totaling 18.4 trillion rubles, while almost 19 thousand companies reported losses that collectively exceeded 5 trillion rubles.

“In most developed countries, the share of unprofitable companies fluctuates in the range of 10-20%. The indicator of 30% is a high level, although not unique for emerging markets in times of crisis. The optimal norm is considered to be a value no higher than 15-20%,” said Freedom Finance Global analyst Vladimir Chernov.

According to him, the current indicator indicates systemic problems with the profitability of a number of industries .

According to Rosstat, the largest losses are recorded in coal mining, production and distribution of steam and hot water, water supply and drainage, as well as in the field of waste disposal.

In addition, land passenger transport and scientific research are among the unprofitable sectors. Up to half of companies and more in these sectors are in the red.

At the same time, increasing unprofitability leads to lower tax revenues, a drop in investment activity, and an increase in debt burden. This increases pressure on banks, which are forced to restructure loans more often, and on the state, which supports unprofitable industries through subsidies.

In addition, this also threatens to increase bankruptcies and accelerate inflation, as the “surviving” companies will raise prices.

If current macroeconomic conditions persist, the share of loss-making enterprises will increase. The main risk of increasing loss-making is that companies will start postponing investment projects, equipment upgrades, and technology implementation. This will hit small and medium-sized contractors and lead to risks to employment and productivity on the ground.

It was previously reported that the growth of the Russian economy is slowing down faster than the Russian government had predicted , and this is hitting the budget, whose deficit this year will exceed the plan. Initially, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade had forecast GDP growth of 2.5% this year, but now the Russian authorities expect only 1.2%. This is 3.5 times less than a year earlier, and even lower than the figure of 1.5% growth.

Previously, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation stated that the Russian economy could slow its growth rate to zero by the end of this year .

Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the possibility of the risks of stagnation and recession in the Russian economy and ordered to prevent this from happening.

For its part, the Central Bank of Russia is developing measures in case of a deterioration in the financial condition of Russian banks , which in 2025 faced a sharp increase in loan delinquencies and a decline in profits.

Previously, the head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, stated that the growing problems in the civilian part of the Russian economy require the Russian authorities to support an increasing number of industries , but the budget, overloaded with military spending, will not be enough for this.

Author:  Halyna Yalivets Джерело: https://censor.net/n3571859

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