Kyrgyzstan and Armenia have emerged as leaders in the growth of footwear exports to Russia, according to an analysis conducted on the UN Comtrade platform and open statistics. Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and the USA have significantly increased their footwear exports to Russia since 2021.
The top footwear suppliers to Russians in 2023 were China, Italy, and Turkey. Poland and Latvia rounded out the top five footwear suppliers to Russia, with exports totaling nearly $151 million and $67 million, respectively. Lithuania, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, India, Armenia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Austria, and Serbia were also among the main footwear sellers to Russia. Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan saw the most significant growth in footwear exports to Russia from pre-sanction levels in 2021 to 2023, with Armenia increasing nearly 11 times, Kyrgyzstan by 6.53 times, and Kazakhstan by 6.49 times.
