A critical situation has arisen in the Russian Federation regarding the supply of optical fiber: the country is facing a shortage of this strategically important material, and stockpiles are rapidly depleting. The cause of this situation is the shutdown of the only optical fiber manufacturing enterprise in Russia – the plant of JSC “Optical Fiber Systems” in Saransk.
This is reported by Finway
Shutdown of the Plant and Consequences for the Industry
After critical damage to production equipment, the plant ceased operations, forcing the Russian authorities to postpone the implementation of mandatory localization for optical fiber production. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia has allowed the temporary use of imported optical fiber for cable manufacturing, and the requirement to use domestic raw materials has been postponed until 2028.
“The enterprise ceased operations after critical damage to the equipment. According to estimates from the Russian government, the available stockpiles of products may be exhausted in the near future, and the resumption of production is not expected before the end of 2027,” the statement said.
Experts emphasize that prior to the shutdown of JSC “Optical Fiber Systems,” it supplied about 30–40% of the domestic demand for optical fiber. Overall, Russia consumes at least 15–20 million kilometers of this material annually.
Dependence on Imports and Rising Prices
Given the halt in production, Russia has effectively lost its own production of this strategically important product and is almost entirely dependent on imported supplies. According to intelligence reports, China has already raised prices for optical fiber several times, creating additional risks for the industry. This could lead to increased costs for the construction and modernization of telecommunications networks, energy systems, and other infrastructure projects in Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service emphasizes that the situation with the optical fiber shortage has demonstrated the vulnerability of the Russian industry, which largely relies on a limited number of manufacturers and imported technologies. Optical fiber is widely used in modern telecommunications, data centers, energy sectors, and drone management systems.
According to open data, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia planned to introduce a requirement starting in 2026, whereby cables for government procurement could only be considered Russian if domestic optical fiber was used. However, due to the current crisis, these plans have been postponed.
It was previously reported that starting in May 2025, the “Optical Fiber Systems” enterprise completely ceased production following a series of Ukrainian attacks.