Development of export of services discussed at the meeting of the Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation

At the meeting of the Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation in the direction of “International Cooperation and Export”, the prospects for increasing the export of services – a segment that can significantly strengthen Russia’s position in foreign markets – were analyzed in detail. The meeting was held by the Governor of the Arkhangelsk region Alexander Tsybulsky, which was informed in the State Council.

The head of the region emphasized that services are not just an addition to commodity exports, but an independent and strategically important block of the economy. It gives a chance to diversify the export line and bet on products with high added value.

“For our country, areas with high added value, based on professional competencies and technologies, are of particular importance. These are primarily information technology, consulting and education. The possibility of remote provision of such services allows entering foreign markets with lower costs for the creation of physical infrastructure and logistics. At the same time, the development of these areas creates a demand for qualified personnel within the country and contributes to the preservation of intellectual potential, Alexander Tsybulsky emphasized.

Now the country has a whole range of tools to support exporters, but their effectiveness should be regularly checked against the real needs of business. The Governor proposed the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, together with relevant departments and industry organizations, to analyze existing documents and support measures. The purpose of this work is to understand where there is a lack of regulation and where it is necessary to fine-tune existing mechanisms.

Separately, the meeting participants focused on tourism exports. Statistics show a positive trend: by the end of 2025, the volume of exports related to travel increased by 17%, and in the first half of 2026, the increase was another 11%. To consolidate and strengthen this trend, it is important to remove the barriers that prevent foreigners from coming to Russia and being comfortable here. We are talking about transport accessibility, simplification of visa and migration procedures, as well as solving payment issues. In addition, tourism products should be adapted to the interests of foreign guests and promoted more actively in target markets.

The participants also saw great potential in medical tourism. Russian clinics are able to provide high-quality assistance to foreigners in a number of high-tech areas - in oncology, cardiology, traumatology and orthopedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology. But in order for this potential to turn into real patient flows, it is necessary to build a clear and transparent route: from choosing a clinic and online consultation to obtaining entry, paying for treatment and subsequent observation.

“The Ministry of Health of Russia and representatives of private medical organizations believe that we have great opportunities to increase the volume of exports of medical services – this will not affect the provision of care to patients in the country, but can seriously provide income to our healthcare sector,” the Governor of the Arkhangelsk region said.

Another promising segment was recognized as the export of software and IT services. This direction is based on the strengths of the Russian school of development and its own technological solutions. Entering foreign markets helps IT companies scale and promote Russian products abroad.

At the same time, representatives of the industry name a number of serious obstacles: systemic barriers, lack of funding and sanctions restrictions. Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Svetlana Karetskaya outlined the steps that are already being taken to support IT exports.

“The key problems that the developers themselves call are systemic barriers, lack of funding and sanctions, of course. As a request, we would like to ask the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia to think about reviewing the national project “International Cooperation and Export” and expand the list of its indicators so that exporters of IT services can also enter the national project and take advantage of support measures. Now we are actively working with other departments and associations to develop a list of measures aimed at stimulating IT exports. We have now formed a roadmap, which included several key areas – marketing promotion, support for companies to localize activities, insurance and concessional lending, said Svetlana Karetskaya.

Following the discussion, members of the State Council commission took the initiative to allocate the export of computer services to a separate priority area of state support. Such a step, in their opinion, will allow to systematically develop the segment and give Russian IT solutions more opportunities to enter international markets.