MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian authorities expect steel production to decline by approximately 5% in 2025 to 67 mln tons, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with the Vedomosti newspaper.

"Compared to last year, we expect a decrease of about 5% in steel production to 67 million tons, given the cooling demand for metal products in the main consumption sectors on the domestic market, including in the construction sector," he said.

That said, for the first time since sanctions for imposed, there has been a 20% increase in export deliveries compared to last year, "thanks to which domestic metallurgists were able to largely compensate for the decline in the domestic market," Manturov added.