Russia has been one of the fastest developing economic areas in the world. The ports and infrastructure of Russia have not been able to satisfy the growing needs of exports and imports, which is why quite a large share of Russian foreign trade is going through third countries as transit transports. Finnish ports play a major role in transit transports to and from Russia. The economic recession that started in autumn 2008 and continues to date has had an impact on the economic development of Russia and transit traffic. The aim of this report is to give background information on Russia, its economic situation as well as its future development. The report discusses the impact of the economy on the development of the volumes of Russian ports in the Baltic Sea region and the impact of the development of Russian ports on transit volumes in Finnish ports. The present status and future development of cargo flows in Finland and Russia are examined. This report was written as a part of the research project STOCA - Study of cargo flows in the Gulf of Finland in emergency situations financed by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A program 2007-2013 of the European Union, European Regional Development Fund, Regional Council of Southwest Finland, Estonian Maritime Academy and National Emergency Supply Agency. The STOCA project focuses in particular on improved sustainable accessibility and transport of cargoes in the region, with emphasis on economical and environmentally sustainable cargo transportation in emergency situations.