Russian coal exports to Turkey declined sharply in the first five months of 2026 as unprofitable shipments and rising logistics costs weakened Russia’s position in the market.
In January-May 2026 Russian coal exports to Turkey dropped to 9.5 mio t (-3.5 mio t or -26.9% y-o-y).
Meanwhile, in Jan-May 2026, Turkey’s total coal imports, including thermal coal, coking coal and anthracite, totaled 15.0 mio t (-2.3 mio t or -13.3% y-o-y).
In Jan-May 2026, Colombia ramped up its deliveries to Turkey to 2.2 mio t (+37.5% y-o-y), while Kazakhstan boosted its coal supplies 2-fold to 1.4 mio t (+100% y-o-y).
Russia’s share in Turkey’s coal imports decreased by 11.8 percentage points to 63.3% in Jan–May 2026 (compared to 75.1% in Jan–May 2025).
Most producers are forced to export coal at zero or negative profitability. Shipments via southern and northwestern ports are loss-making, while access to rail capacity remains limited amid rising rail tariffs.
This situation carries the risk of reducing Russian coal exports’ share in the key remaining markets for Russian suppliers, including the Turkish market, where since 2022 Russian coal has successfully replaced Colombia as the main supplier.
Source: CCA
