Russian coal exports to Turkey dropped to 6.2 mio t in Q1 2026 (-2.3 mio t or -27.0% vs. Q1 2025).
Meanwhile, Turkey’s total coal imports, including thermal coal, coking coal and anthracite, totaled 9.7 mio t in Q1 2026 (-1.2 mio t or -11.0% y-o-y).
In Q1 2026, Colombia ramped up its deliveries to Turkey to 1.2 mio t (+33.3%), while Kazakhstan boosted its coal supplies 2.4-fold to 1.2 mio t (+140% vs. Q1 2025).
Russia’s share in Turkey’s coal imports decreased by 14.0 percentage points to 64.0% in Jan–Mar 2026 (compared to 78.0% in Jan–Mar 2025).
Most producers are forced to export coal at zero or negative profitability. Russian suppliers are having to cut exports across all destinations. 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
