Russia’s pivot to the East has led to the redistribution of logistics flows, both export and import. The sharp increase in demand for transporting goods to the East has revealed a number of challenges for the Russian cargo transportation industry. Promising alternatives for Russian logistics (the Northern Sea Route, the North-South International Transport Corridor, and the Eastern Corridor) will obviously experience increased loads due to global geopolitical changes, which may require revisions to the target indicators of these projects. How can we resolve the issue of expanding throughput capacity to the East? Which are the most promising trends in terms of container cargo transportation? How should we balance container imports and exports? What prospects exist for the development of the North-South International Transport Corridor? How feasible is the project to build a through railway line to the ports of the Persian Gulf, given the current infrastructure and political realities? Is it possible to expand the range of goods that will be transported along the Northern Sea Route? What are the main bottlenecks of the project in the view of market participants? Do any successful solutions exist in world practice? How can we interconnect cargo flows based on cargo classification and export/import directions to international logistics arteries?

Moderator:
Yakov Sergienko — General Director, Yakov & Partners

Speakers:
Valentin Ivanov — First Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Alexander Iodchin — Deputy General Director for Strategy and Development, Delo Group of Companies
Andrey Kutepov — Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Irina Magnushevskaya — General Director, Institute of Economics and Transport Development
Denis Matyukhin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Aeroclub Group of Companies
Aisen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Vitaliy Sergeychuk — Member of the Management Board, VTB Bank
Mikhail Yurchuk — Deputy CEO for Government Relations, UGMK

In connection with the reorientation of global economic emphasis on Asia-Pacific countries, Russia’s Far East has become a major gateway for foreign trade. 2024 is seeing completion of the second development stage of the Eastern Polygon, with a target through-capacity of 180 million tonnes. The Russian Government has approved the target indicators for the third stage in the Eastern Polygon’s development: 210 million tonnes in 2030 and 270 million tonnes in 2032. Container traffic has become the most dynamically growing segment of freight carriage and plays a key role in international trade. The rapid turn by the Russian economy towards the East has inevitably resulted in an imbalance between the growing export-import freight flows against a background of infrastructure deficit. The technologies for container transportation on open goods wagons, as well as extra-long trains, have proven their efficiency and allow for a boost in export-import container transportation. A modern transport logistics infrastructure must be developed apace, as this will facilitate freight flow increases until the Eastern Polygon modernization is completed.

Moderator:
Alexander Kakhidze — General Director, FinInvest

Speakers:
Sergey Avseykov — Executive Director, Eurasian Union of Participants of Rail Freight Transportation
Dmitry Bakanov — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Gadzhimagomed Guseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Khasyan Zyabirov — General Director, UgolTrans
Vladimir Ivin — Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Igor Levitin — Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation; Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of Transport
Dmitry Murev — Deputy General Director, Russian Railways - Head of the Center for Branded Transport Services

Front row participants:
Artem Dovlatov — Deputy Chairman, VEB.RF
Valentin Murashov — Vice President, GPB-Infrastructure Holding
Sergey Khodov — Commercial Director, DUK Avesta LLC

Over the last 10 years, Russian foreign trade has been pivoting to the East and South. The events of 2022 made this pivot irreversible. The burden on the Far East’s transport infrastructure has increased significantly over the last two years, but its capabilities have also expanded, which means that Russian products can be exported to promising markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The realization of geoeconomic opportunities in the East will be supported by cutting-edge transport services, whose synergistic effect will thoroughly alter people’s living standards in the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. How can we effectively meet challenges to further transform infrastructure, rolling stock, the marine shipping fleet, and routes into new growth factors for the Russian economy? These and other goals to develop an effective transport system starting from 2025 are all part of the National Transport Project, which will determine the speed, geography, and extent of movement of people and cargo flows for at least the next five years. What economic effect has the pivot to the East produced? What are the plans for developing transportation and various routes in the Far East with countries that maintain friendly relations with Russia?

Moderator:
Evelina Zakamskaya — TV Presenter, Russia 24 TV Channel; Chief Editor, Doctor TV Channel

Speakers:
Sergey Aleksandrovskiy — General Director, Aeroflot
Oleg Belozerov — Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board, Russian Railways
Evgeniy Ditrikh — Chief Executive Officer, GTLK
Kirill Dmitriev — Chief Executive Officer, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)
Vladimir Ivin — Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Vasily Orlov — Governor of Amur Region
Vitaly Saveliev — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Roman Starovoyt — Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Sergey Shishkarev — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Delo Group of Companies

Front row participants:
Valentin Ivanov — First Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Irina Olkhovskaya — General Director, Research and Production Corporation United Wagon Company
Alexander Osipov — Governor of Trans-Baikal Territory
Dmitry Yadrov — Head, Federal Agency for Air Transport

The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East is conducting large-scale work with other federal and regional government bodies to implement the new law on deliveries of goods to Russia’s northern territories, which took effect on 1 April 2024. The government has adopted several by-laws, created an institution in charge of the centralized planning, priority transportation, and servicing of cargo deliveries to the northern territories by rail and sea transport, is gradually introducing the state regulation of prices and tariff surcharges in Russia’s regions, and determined what supporting infrastructure is needed for such supplies. Work is now under way to create a Federal State Information System to Monitor Northern Deliveries. Federal and regional coordinators have been identified, a concept is being developed for a unified sea operator for deliveries to the north, and law enforcement practices are being drafted. The implementation of these measures will ensure the timely and uninterrupted supply of vital cargo to remote northern territories. What are the initial results of the implementation of this new law? What tools and measures will be used to further develop it in the future?

Moderator:
Maria Nikishova — Head of Sustainable Development, Eastern State Planning Center (FANU Vostokgosplan)

Speakers:
Anton Basansky — Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Gadzhimagomed Guseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Vladislav Kuznetsov — Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Region
Vladimir Panov — Special Representative for the Development of the Arctic, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM; Deputy Chairman, The State Commission for Arctic Development

Front row participants:
Olga Balabkina — Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Yakov Ginzburg — General Director, Irkutsk Oil Company (INK)
Vladimir Marinov — Managing Director, Public Sector Department, Sberbank
Yuliya Morozova — Deputy Chairman, Government of Kamchatskiy Krai

The development of the Great Northern Sea Route is of significant national importance to the Russian Federation. It is the only waterway that connects all subarctic and Arctic regions of Russia, and one of the most effective (and in some cases the only) way to get necessary goods to the populated areas of the Russian Arctic. Arctic projects are constantly adapting to new conditions – this much is clear from the record volumes of construction freight delivered to the region. And the development of the Northern Sea Route continues at a steady pace. A new approach to international cooperation in the development of the Northern Sea Route is gradually being formed. What does the future development of the Northern Sea Route hold? Will the Efficient Transport System national project become a driver for the development of the Northern Sea Route and the Great Northern Sea Route? How is the issue of the development of the Northern Sea Route infrastructure and ensuring safe passage on the route being resolved? What needs to be done to connect the Northern Sea Route to the supporting transport infrastructure, namely railways and deepwater ports? What is next for international cooperation?

Moderator:
Mikhail Bazhenov — Partner, Strategy and Operations Consulting, Technologies of Trust

Speakers:
Alexander Bondar — Director of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technical Activities, Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief
Gadzhimagomed Guseynov — First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Igor Levitin — Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation; Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of Transport
Alexey Likhachev — Director General, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM
Brijinder S. Sodhi — Naval Attache, Embassy of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation
Sakiko Hataya — Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Fan Yusin — Chairman, NewNew Shipping Line

The Russian president has set the goal of increasing passenger traffic on flights within the Far East to at least 4 million passengers per year by 2030. To achieve this target and enhance the level of transportation, the Russian Ministry of Transport, along with the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, have prepared a plan for the development of air transportation within the Far Eastern Federal District. The plan envisages the following measures: the construction and modernization of airports, airfields, heliports, and landing sites in the Far Eastern Federal District; the supply of the required number of Russian-produced aircraft and helicopters for regional and small aviation; a reduction in passenger transportation costs, including through the use of preferential leasing mechanisms; and the greater availability of transportation within the Far Eastern Federal District for Russian citizens. What is the current situation like and what prospects exist for the development of air transportation in the regions of the Far East? What constraints remain in the implementation of the plan and how can they be overcome? How can we accelerate the development of local transportation? How are plans being implemented to rebuild airfield infrastructure? What other problems need to be solved to achieve the target indicators for passenger traffic?

Moderator:
Igor Kustarin — Senior Advisor, Strategy Partners

Speakers:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Oleg Bocharov — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Vladislav Kuznetsov — Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Region
Alexey Laukart — Co-founder, Prosto Tent
Vladimir Poteshkin — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Konstantin Sukhorebrik — General Director, Aurora Airlines
Andrey Chikhanchin — First Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Commerce and Finance, Aeroflot
Dmitry Yadrov — Head, Federal Agency for Air Transport

Front row participants:
Fedor Borisov — Chief Expert, Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Aleksey Vasilchenko — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Krasinvest
Dmitriy Kozorez — Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Moscow Aviation Institute National Research University
Vladimir Sivtsev — Minister of Transport and Road Facilities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Given the growing cargo turnover at Far Eastern ports, the Russian government’s key priorities include the development of traditional and launch of new sea routes for cargo transportation through the Far East to Asian countries and other geographic regions that maintain friendly relations with Russia, the expansion of port infrastructure, and creation of additional capacities both in Russia and abroad to handle these cargo flows. In 2023 alone, exports to Asian countries from Russia increased by 6%, Asian countries accounted for more than 70% of total Russian exports, and imports from Asian countries to Russia increased by 30%. Over the past few years, Far Eastern ports have launched new services not only to Asian countries, but also to India, Sri Lanka, and other regions. Digital logistics technologies are also developing, which streamline cargo handling at ports and border crossings, help accelerate the redirection of Russian foreign trade flows to China and other Southeast Asian countries, and contribute to the further growth in Russia’s trade turnover with this region. Which Asian countries have become more involved in trade with Russia today? Are there enough logistics solutions on the market to support the ever-increasing trade turnover? Is the state ready for further growth in trade with Asian countries through the Far East, and what are some of the current constraints? What additional technological and infrastructure solutions and digital innovations are needed for sustainable work in new directions? What problems exist in logistics through the Russian Far East for these new destinations? What additional government support measures could help Russian companies create new sustainable logistics chains?

Moderator:
Kirill Tokarev — Editor-in-Chief, Anchor, RBC

Speakers:
Dmitry Bakanov — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Ivin — Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Vinay Kumar — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation
Igor Levitin — Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation; Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of Transport
Ekaterina Lyakhova — Chief Executive Officer, Delo
German Maslov — Vice President of Liner and Logistic Division, FESCO
Sergey Pavlov — First Deputy Managing Director, Russian Railways
Sun Tianshu — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Qifa