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Since the Russian-Uzbekistan incident in 2022, many western countries, including the European Union and the United States, have begun to impose trade restrictions on Russia, including timber and wood products produced in Russia. In response, Russia had to change its original plan and began to shift to the Asian market.

Customs data show that in the past year, Russia's timber export industry has indeed been affected to some extent. The export volume of timber decreased by 22% year on year; Customs data showed that the export volume decreased by 2022% to 1.8 billion US dollars. China has always been a major importer of Russian timber, but in 2022, Russian timber exports to China also fell by 10% year on year.

After the Russian-Uzbekistan incident, Russia's economic development has also attracted much attention. As a major timber exporter, the customs data in 2022 is not ideal. Does it mean that after losing the European market, Russia's timber export industry is beginning to decline?

Customs data show that, first, the volume of timber exported to the Chinese market has decreased, partly because the Chinese market is affected by the epidemic and the demand slows down, which does not mean that the Russian timber inventory is insufficient. Customs data showed that, second, the shift to the Asian market was due to an accident, and there had been no relatively complete laws and regulations. It is expected that the export volume of timber will gradually recover after Russia officially lifted the ban on "transporting timber through Kazakhstan".