Fuel queues at border push up Chinese goods prices
Longer queues at the border lead to higher prices for imported goods.
Have you ordered a Chinese phone on a marketplace? Or perhaps you are waiting for a new case? Get ready: any product from China will now cost more than you expected. And the culprits are not the Chinese or even the yuan exchange rate, but Russia«s macroeconomic problems.
Over the past month, freight delivery from China to Russia has already risen by 15–25% (depending on the product category). And these are not dry figures — behind them are hundreds of trucks queuing at the border, drivers who don«t know where to refuel, and businesses forced to factor these costs into the price of goods. Details in the MSK1.RU article.
Logistics Collapse
In just one month, the cost of a Shanghai-Moscow trip jumped from 730,000–750,000 rubles ($7,700–$7,900 at current rates) to 1.05–1.1 million rubles ($11,100–$11,600). That«s an increase of 15–25%. And the issue is not fuel per se, MSK1.RU is told by Andrey Kogan, founder of the company »VsyoIzKitaya« (Everything from China) and chairman of the Committee on Work with China of the Association of Exporters and Importers (AEI). The main reason is a dramatic drop in delivery speed.
The daily mileage of trucks on the Asian leg has fallen from 600–700 km to 500 km. Vehicles waste time at gas stations — there are queues. Transit time from Zabaykalsk to Moscow has increased by 23%: now it«s 10–12 days instead of the usual eight. Meanwhile, each day of downtime costs the carrier an »extra« 13,000–15,000 rubles ($137–$158). The result is overpayment.
Rail and Sea? More Problems
When road transport becomes more expensive, clients traditionally switch to rail. And here«s what happened. As Andrey Kogan explains to MSK1.RU, when clients began shifting from road to rail, it instantly triggered a rise in rates there as well. By early June 2026, the cost of shipping a 40-foot container on the Shanghai-Moscow route exceeded $8,000, and on some services it already reaches $9,000–12,000. Market participants record a weekly increase of $200–300.
At the same time, Kogan says, China is actively redistributing capacity in favor of European transit. Rail freight «China-Europe» through Russia in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 36–45% year-on-year amid instability of routes through the Suez Canal.
Simply put, Chinese railways give priority to high-yield transit to the West, not to more complicated shipments to Russia. In effect, Russian goods compete for space in a wagon with European cargo.
The overheating of the rail segment also pulled up sea rates, explains an MSK1.RU expert. Container shipping via Vladivostok rose by $200–400, via Novorossiysk by $100–200.
SPOT Disrupts Delivery Deadlines
Maxim Gmyrya, Chairman of the Insurance Committee of the Association of Exporters and Importers and founder of the risk management agency «Sequoia Group» LLC, tells MSK1.RU that importers« lives have been complicated not only by price anomalies but also by regulatory changes. Simply put, new bureaucratic requirements.
«If earlier delivery times depended mainly on logistics, then since 2026 the key factor has become the administrative barrier,» says Gmyrya.
The SPOT system has been launched, which now requires importers to submit documents two days before crossing the border, make a security deposit, and obtain a QR code, without which the cargo will not be allowed through. Any error in paperwork or delay in payment — and the truck ends up stuck at the border, disrupting delivery deadlines. For businesses, this means cash gaps, downtime, and rising storage costs, explains Gmyrya in an interview with MSK1.RU.
The transition period for EAEU countries (except Belarus) ended on July 1, 2026. For Belarus, the deferral is in effect until November 1.
«This is the new reality of imports, where speed and price depend not only on the road but also on a tax official with a QR scanner,» says the expert.
Gmyrya emphasizes: the old schemes for working with supplies from the EAEU no longer work. Importers will have to not only factor the increased cost of fuel into the price of goods but also restructure financial flows to freeze millions of rubles in security deposits.
What Will Happen to Prices?
This question, of course, worries everyone. And the experts at MSK1.RU do not have the most pleasant answer. Kogan says: the increase in the cost of freight delivery from China is a direct increase in the cost of goods. Taking into account retail markup, the end consumer may see a price increase on the shelf in the range of 10–15% in the coming months, when current batches with expensive logistics reach the warehouse.
«As long as restrictions at the border crossing persist and China continues to give priority to European transit, pressure on rates will only intensify,» Kogan summarizes.
Gmyrya agrees: «Imported goods (especially those with high logistics costs) will become more expensive.»
