The crisis in container logistics is intensifying in russia due to new regional restrictions. All container sites must now be registered, and operators must have contracts for the handling of solid municipal waste, as well as for container equipment, fencing, security, lighting, sewage, a photo and video recording system for container movements, and even an electronic scanner for inspecting container contents. In view of this, terminals and depots are being closed en masse in Moscow region, which has already led to serious disruptions in the russian capital’s transport hub.

Operators have reported that they are forced to move their container flows to neighboring regions. At the same time, the cost of services has already doubled at the few terminals remaining in Moscow region.

Due to the imbalance of import and export flows, empty containers, for which there is no storage space, are beginning to accumulate at moscow’s transport hub. The railway infrastructure is operating at full capacity, while the roads in the capital region are filling up with trucks. The complete closure of the depot could increase freight traffic by more than a million trips per year, which means congestion, chaos, and even higher costs.

If transport volumes return to pre-crisis levels, the situation will escalate into a full-scale transport collapse, leading not only to delays but also to supply disruptions.

The loss of transport infrastructure efficiency, border congestion, and capacity shortages at key hubs may significantly reduce russia’s ability to quickly redeploy resources. This once again confirms the weakness of a system built on authoritarianism and corruption.