Economic geographer Zubarevich named five factors contributing to the economic success of Tatarstan.

      Professor of the Department of Economic and Social Geography at Moscow State University, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, specialist in regional economics Natalia Zubarevich, in an interview with RBC Tatarstan, listed five factors contributing to the economic success of the Republic of Tatarstan. The first factor mentioned by the economic geographer was that "Tatneft" remains a regional company that pays profit tax to the budget of Tatarstan. "All other oil companies are federal and part of their profits are transferred to headquarters located in Moscow or St. Petersburg," she reminded. The success of the republic is also aided by the diversified nature of the economy and the presence of a million-strong city. "<...> the population of Kazan is growing, residents of the republic are flocking to the agglomeration, and this is an objective process," Zubarevich explained. The relatively favorable demographic situation is also significant. Tatarstan is the only republic in the Volga Federal District that has a small but stable migration growth and the weakest natural decline, she added. "And the fifth factor, without which all the other factors would not work, is the quality of governance, its coherence and clarity. I have long considered the quality of economic governance in Tatarstan to be high," emphasized the specialist, highlighting the "special ability to build relationships with the federal center." A striking example of this was the attraction of a loan of 200 billion rubles for the development of the special economic zone "Alabuga" under the guarantees of Tatarstan. According to the researcher, in 2025, Tatarstan maintained a very cautious spending policy. At the same time, all social expenditures in the region grew at a pace exceeding inflation. As a result, the republic, unlike 70 other regions (excluding new territories), was able to balance its budget revenues and expenditures. This allowed it to enter 2026 "without the burden of budget problems," she explained. Answering a question about growth points, Zubarevich mentioned the defense industry in relation to all of Tatarstan and the well-developed service economy in Kazan. "But in the public catering sector, the situation is changing – not everyone will survive, and trade is growing more slowly, which means that retail chains will not have a large margin," she noted.

      "With a high probability, 2026 will be worse than 2025. <...> There is no doubt that Tatarstan will have a softer landing. Some slippage is possible, but the level that Tatarstan has allows it to remain better than many other regions," emphasized the economic geographer.

      Photo: © Vladimir Vasiliev / "Tatar-inform"

      More news on the event:

      Economic geographer Zubarevich named five factors of Tatarstan's economic success

      Professor of the Department of Economic and Social Geography at Moscow State University, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, 16:37 26.03.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan

      Economic geographer Zubarevich named five factors contributing to the economic success of RT

      Professor of the Department of Economic and Social Geography at Moscow State University, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, 16:06 26.03.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan