Russia and Germany
Russia's invasion of Ukraine profoundly changed a relationship previously shaped by trade and energy. Germany participates in European sanctions and maintains a position of support for Ukraine. Diplomatic channels and some exchanges persist, but must not be confused with the earlier political cooperation.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-28 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Diplomatic relations and suspension of cooperation
The Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations in September 1955.
The historical weight of trade and energy
The German profile describes the deterioration of the bilateral framework and economic cooperation following the war.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 8,149.5 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: Russia to Germany | 1,268.04 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: Germany to Russia | 6,881.46 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Russia to Germany | ||
| Export share: Germany to Russia | ||
| Investment stock: Russia in Germany | ||
| Investment stock: Germany in Russia |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: Russia to Germany
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: Germany to Russia
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Year-on-year inflation: different periods or frequencies; the two figures are not directly comparable.
| Indicator | Russia | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 2.59 trillion USDIMF est.2025 · IMF | 5.05 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 17,972.12 USDIMF est.2025 · IMF | 60,496.44 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 1 %2025 · WB | 0.24 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 14 %2026-09-11 · CBR | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE |
| Inflation · annual average | 8.72 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 2.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 6.33 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · CBR | 3.3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Destatis |
| Unemployment | 2.13 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.71 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -3.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -2.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 17.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 62.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 1.68 %2025 · WB | 4.51 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 143,997,000IMF est.2025 · IMF | 83,491,2492025 · WB |
| Area | 17,125,190 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 357,680 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
For Russia, GDP, population and GDP per capita are estimates from the same IMF (WEO) dataset for 2025. The per-capita figure published by the IMF is used, rather than a calculation of our own. The earlier World Bank series could not be reconciled and are not mixed with this dataset. Review: 2026-10-07. IMF data terms of use0
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDRussia: 2025 · Nominal GDP in current USD · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Germany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personRussia: 2025 · Nominal GDP per capita in current USD · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Germany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Russia: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Russia: 2026-09-11 · Bank of Russia policy rate · Bank of RussiaGermany: 2026-09-16 · ECB: deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Russia: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World BankGermany: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedRussia: 2026-08 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Bank of Russia · Published: 2026-09-16 · Year-on-year CPI. The commentary's 6.9% is annualised seasonally adjusted monthly growth and is not used here.Germany: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Destatis · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionRussia: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Germany: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Russia: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Russia: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPRussia: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Population
- PeopleRussia: 2025 · Population from the WEO series; do not mix with a denominator from another source · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est. · IMF estimate (WEO). GDP, GDP per capita and population for this country come from the same WEO query for 2025; no separate GDP-per-capita figure has been calculated.Germany: 2025 · World Bank
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceRussia: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; territorial coverage as defined by the source · World Bank · FAOGermany: 2023 · Area according to the series' coverage; does not determine sovereignty or effective control · World Bank
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Russia to Germany
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Germany to Russia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Consular channels and civilian contacts must be distinguished from political cooperation and activities subject to sanctions. [3]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Russia living in Germany | ||
| Residents from Germany living in Russia | ||
| Study and training: Russia in Germany | ||
| Study and training: Germany in Russia | ||
| Academic stays: Russia in Germany | ||
| Academic stays: Germany in Russia | ||
| Travel: Russia to Germany | ||
| Travel: Germany to Russia |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Diplomatic relations and suspension of cooperation
The Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations in September 1955. The German foreign ministry states that intergovernmental consultations were suspended after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and that the 2022 invasion transformed the relationship. Suspending a cooperation mechanism is not the same as closing every diplomatic representation. Existing contacts must not be presented as a return to previous conditions. [1]
The historical weight of trade and energy
The German profile describes the deterioration of the bilateral framework and economic cooperation following the war. Energy ties formed part of that economic exposure, but a single year's trade figure is not enough to measure dependency, contracts or infrastructure. The table's statistics show goods actually recorded by Germany in 2025, separately from industrial and political ties in earlier periods. [1] [3]
Sanctions within a European framework
The Council published new measures in June 2026 targeting energy revenues, the military-industrial complex and other areas. These are restrictions covering specified individuals, entities and activities, not a statement that every private exchange is identical. Germany participates in a common European policy. Understanding a specific transaction requires consulting its regulatory coverage; this profile describes the relationship, not legal instructions for trading. [2]
What the 2025 statistics reveal
Destatis publishes exports and imports by destination and origin country. The profile retains a single German report, with FOB exports and CIF imports, in millions of euros. Continuing exchange does not by itself indicate relaxed sanctions or strategic cooperation. Nor can a transaction through a third country be identified as a direct export to Russia without additional evidence. [3]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-28
The 2026 sanctions update
On 12 October 2026, the EU Council added 826 companies in Russia’s military-industrial complex and 743 executives to its sanctions lists. On 15 October it added three individuals and nine entities for circumventing restrictions on goods, oil and financial transactions. Germany applies this European framework; these are not separate German bilateral measures. [4] [5]
The listings entail asset freezes and a prohibition on providing funds or economic resources to those listed; the individuals are also subject to an EU travel ban. They do not amount to a ban on all trade with Russia. The scope of any transaction depends on the applicable rules and lists. [4] [5]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 8,149.5 million EUR. Shipments from Russia to Germany were 1,268.04 million EUR, and those in the opposite direction were 6,881.46 million EUR. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, subsidiary activity and investment have independent measures. [3]
Milestones and consequences
- 1955-09
Diplomatic relations
Start of the Federal Republic's diplomatic relationship. [1]
- 2014
Consultations suspended
Change after the annexation of Crimea. [1]
- 2022
Invasion of Ukraine
Fundamental transformation of the bilateral framework. [1]
- 2026-06-15
European measures
New Council publication on sanctions. [2]
- 2026-10-12
Listings targeting Russia’s military industry
The EU lists 826 companies and 743 executives. [4]
- 2026-10-15
Measures against sanctions circumvention
The EU adds three individuals and nine entities. [5]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Germany and Russia: bilateral relations
Germany's Federal Foreign Office · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-19 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- New European sanctions against Russia
Council of the European Union · Institutional source · Document: 2026-06-15 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- German foreign trade: 2025
Destatis · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- EU listings targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, 12 October 2026
Council of the European Union · Institutional source · Document: 2026-10-12 · Accessed: 2026-10-28
- EU listings for sanctions circumvention, 15 October 2026
Council of the European Union · Institutional source · Document: 2026-10-15 · Accessed: 2026-10-28