Russia and western countries are engaged in retaliatory trade measures due to the Ukraine crisis. After sanctions were imposed by western countries on Russia, the Russian government has taken a decision to impose a ban on the import of industrial equipment from western countries, specifically on equipment for Russia’s nonwovens and technical textiles industries.

Germany and Belgium have been the largest suppliers of equipment for the Russian nonwovens and technical textile industries. Most of the modern equipment needed for Russian industry used to be imported. The imposition of a ban may provide the drive for development of national machine building industry and will provide new orders to it.

In a way the ban will serve to support local producers though the quality of their production is often low compared with the quality of imports. But first of all they need to establish their own production. Also the Russian government plans to increase support to domestic producers, which is expected to take place through the provision of numerous benefits and incentives to them. There are plans for a special fund, which will provide cheap loans to domestic producers for expansion of their production facilities.

Meanwhile Russia will have to turn to Chinese or Korean technology, whose quality is lower than the equipment supplied by EU countries.