More than half of large companies in Russia ended 2025 with a drop in profits, reduced or completely froze investment projects, and many of them are preparing to lay off employees, warned the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
According to a survey by the RUIE, last year only 19% of companies continued to invest as usual. Every third (33%) “significantly” reduced their investments, the same number reduced them “slightly”, and 15% completely froze all projects.
Three-quarters of the RUIE study participants (72%) complained about the growth of accounts receivable – that is, non-payments from contractors. It was the state corporations that primarily failed to pay according to the survey.
At 62% of civilian enterprises in 2025, profits fell and the share of loss-making companies increased, noted RUIE Vice President Alexander Murichev. “The liquidity crisis and non-payments are intensifying. There is a huge increase in costs. Given the fact that the situation on these indicators worsened throughout 2025 and continues to worsen this year, enterprises are gradually exhausting their own resources, which could have allowed them to continue their activities,” said Murichev.
Many city-forming factories, as well as enterprises in monotowns, have already transferred employees to part-time work, and in the second half of 2026, according to Murichev, they will most likely be forced to start layoffs. “The only visible prospect for many enterprises today is a reduction in production, employees, and in the most critical situations, unfortunately, bankruptcy,” said Murichev (quoted by Reuters) (The Moscow Times).
