Russian truck manufacturers lost the domestic market to Chinese imports within a few years. After European brands exited Russia in 2022, Chinese brands quickly captured the heavy machinery niche. Russian hopes for "fruitful cooperation" turned into a loss of the domestic market, with Chinese brands now controlling over 53% of sales.
In Russia, sales of domestically produced trucks fell by 19% in 2024 and plummeted 56% in the first half of 2025; in the segment of long-haul tractors, the decline reached 70%.
The lack of demand for Russian vehicles forced leading truck and bus manufacturers—Kamaz, GAZ, and PAZ—to reduce the workweek to four days or completely halt production.
The situation on the Russian truck market also affected cooperation with "friendly" Belarus in this sector. Belarusian automakers complain that they are being "pushed out" of Russia—MAZ sales in the Russian market fell 34% in the first half of 2025.
