In January–June 2026, Russian courts declared 3.55 thousand legal entities bankrupt – 10.8% more compared to the same period in 2025, reports “Kommersant”, citing data from the “Fedresurs” register.
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During the first half of the year, supervision procedures (the first stage of bankruptcy cases) were initiated against 2.97 thousand companies, which is 20.9% more than last year. Moreover, as statistics show, in the second quarter both the number of bankruptcies and the number of companies subjected to external supervision increased sharply. The most bankrupt companies were in Moscow (859 cases), Moscow region (260), and Saint Petersburg (232). Next are Kuban and Sverdlovsk regions – about 120 legal entities each.
Additionally, data shows a significant increase in notifications of intent to officially declare insolvency. In the first half of the year, the number of such statements from creditors increased by 18.5% compared to last year, and from the indebted companies themselves – by 43% up to 2025 and 83% up to 2024.
Bankruptcy and complaints about pre-bankruptcy situations affected IT companies, retail companies, infrastructure companies, and even companies producing products for the defense industry, writes “The Moscow Times”.
“Inflation, fluctuations in the base interest rate, and the rising cost of loans have slowly but surely caused a domino effect,” notes lawyer and K’AMELAWT founder Anastasia Shamshina.
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According to data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (“Rosstat”), at the end of April, Russian business debts to partners, banks, and the budget amounted to 7 trillion rubles. Over the year, this amount increased by 20% and currently exceeds federal budget expenditures to support the economy by 1.5 times.
Businesses are caught between declining consumer demand and increasing tax burdens. Last year, the Russian government increased the profit tax, and this year raised VAT to 22% and started a small business tax reform, removing the simplified accounting system and low rates from hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs are forced to close businesses, including through bankruptcy, due to “the maintenance of high base interest rates while wages and expenses are rising,” notes Anton Krasnikov, partner at the law firm “Sotbi”. Expensive loans deprive businesses of the ability to cover cash shortages and weather the “storm”, and more companies are forced to take new loans just to pay off old ones.
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