Russia Shifts Regional Industrial Policy Toward Coordinated Growth Map

Regional industrial policy in Russia is shifting from isolated strategies toward a coordinated network of growth. At the "Russian Industrialist" forum in St. Petersburg, representatives from industrial ministries across 70 federal subjects met to synchronize efforts under the national mandate for technological sovereignty. The primary objective of the gathering was the development of a "industrial growth map," intended to align regional capacities and prevent redundant efforts in the pursuit of domestic production goals. St. Petersburg is positioning itself as a blueprint for this scaling process, leveraging growth rates that exceed the national average to export its administrative and investment frameworks to other regions. The city's industrial production index stood at 108.9% last year, 7.8 percentage points higher than the Russian average. This momentum is reflected in labor demand: 4,000 new jobs were created since the start of the year, with projections calling for over 10,600 additional positions in 2025. By the end of 2026, the city expects to launch at least five major new industrial facilities. The central mechanism for this expansion is the St. Petersburg Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which currently spans 337 hectares across four sites. The zone hosts 67 resident companies and provides approximately 8,500 jobs. The city's immediate ambitions hinge on 2026, by which time it aims to launch 11 new high-tech enterprises-a target that would represent a record for the SEZ's operational capacity.