MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Freight traffic to Russia’s east in January-April 2023 increased by 8% year-on-year and amounted to around 97 mln metric tons, according to the press service of Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev.

"According to Russian Federation Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev, freight traffic in the eastern direction approached 97 mln tons in the first four months of this year, which is 8% higher than in the same period in 2022," the statement said.

Press service of the Russian Railways said earlier that freight transportation by rail to China gained 28% year-on-year as of 2022 year-end and totaled 123 mln metric tons.