Putin Orders Priority Rail Transit for Russian Grain – Kommersant

Oct. 6, 2026 Jakub Maciejewski (CC BY-SA 4.0) President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian Railways to give priority to export grain shipments across the national rail network as Ukrainian drone attacks cut off southern shipping hubs, according to the Kommersant business newspaper. Standard Russian Railways rules generally prioritize domestic freight and transit shipments over export goods. Now, grain trains can leapfrog other export commodities like coal on congested rail routes leading to Baltic and Arctic ports. “Regarding commercial shipping in the Black Sea, the president indeed instructed the Agriculture Ministry together with other agencies to work out alternative delivery routes for domestic grain to world markets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the publication. Grain has been moved into the third-highest priority category on Russia’s railway system, which is reserved for cargo transported under direct presidential orders. The shift in priorities follows a 465% year-on-year surge in daily rail deliveries of agricultural goods to northwestern Russia in September, according to sources cited by Kommersant. Companies are actively repurposing their fertilizer, coal and other cargo terminals at Baltic and Arctic ports to handle grain exports. Russia’s overall agricultural exports slumped, with total grain exports for September falling nearly fourfold year-on-year to 1.7 million metric tons. Outbound shipments from Russia’s primary Black Sea grain hub of Novorossiysk plunged tenfold. Despite the workarounds, market analysts warn that Baltic and Arctic ports lack the storage capacity and specialized infrastructure of southern terminals to handle larger long-term volumes. Agricultural consultancy SovEcon recently slashed its forecast for Russia’s 2026/27 grain exports from 49.4 million metric tons to 44.7 million metric tons amid expectations that normal commercial operations in the Black Sea will remain disrupted until at least 2027. Read more about: Railroad , Agriculture Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Novosibirsk Agriculture Minister Fired After Mass Cattle Culls Spark Farmer Protests The sacked minister became the target of national ridicule last month after a video showed him running away from a farm owner seeking an explanation for... 2 Min read Krasnodar Vice Governor Arrested on Fraud Charges Investigators claim Andrei Korobka accepted $190,600 from a developer to illegally authorize residential construction on land designated for industrial... 2 Min read Agricultural Emergency Declared in Southern Russia’s Rostov Region Over Crop Loss The new emergency follows two other agricultural emergencies that have been in place in the Rostov region since May and June. 2 Min read Record Harvest Won't Help Struggling Russian Wheat Producers Russia may harvest between 114 and 116 million tons of wheat this year, a record for post-Soviet Russia, according to the head of the Russian Grain Union...