Until February 24, 2022, Russia had not fully integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its objectives into national policies and development strategies for industries, regions, and cities (some elements were present in national projects). However, progress had been made toward achieving some goals by 2022, and there was hope that further implementation of the goals would gain momentum. Unfortunately, as seen from the latest report by SDCC, the onset of the war put an end to many initiatives and halted progress toward a sustainable future.
By 2020, Russia had made progress on SDG 2, in particular in achieving food security food self-sufficiency in many key categories, except milk and milk products, vegetables, gourds, fruits and berries, and table salt. In the Global Food Security Index, Russia, while remaining around the 40th place from 2014 to 2018, moved up to the 23rd place in 2021, and the prevalence of malnutrition among the population has remained at 2.5 % since 2004. In 2022, Russia dropped 20 places, falling to the 43rd place in the Global Food Security Index. The indicators that decreased the most include economic availability, namely the average price of food products, and physical availability.
Regarding the energy transition, a key focus of SDG 7, official statistics indicated that 100% of Russians had access to electricity, and the cost of electricity for households in Russia was several times lower than in European countries. In the first half of 2022, the majority of households paid no more than 6 rubles per kWh (0.07 €). In 2020, the share of coal and oil, the dirtiest forms of fossil fuels was about 35 % of Russia's total energy supply, while in the world it was more than 50 %.
In the second quarter of 2022, the construction of all the solar PV power plants planned under the programme to support renewable energy in the wholesale electricity market for the period up to 2024 was completed.
Formally, Russia has not yet abandoned the renewables support programmes, but their implementation will be difficult in the near future. This is due to the fact that because of the partial destruction of ties with Western countries, external interest in Russia's transition to renewable energy has significantly decreased, as well as the fact that the cost of Russian renewable energy projects is growing, while the conditions for their implementation (supplies of foreign components, international technologi cal cooperation, etc.) are deteriorating.Progress was also observed in SDG 9. Prior to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this task was largely successful. The quality and availability of the Internet grew, new standards of high-speed data transmission for mobile phones were introduced. Passenger turnover growth was observed in key modes of transport: air (+34 % in 2019 against 2014) and rail (+3 %). In addition, passenger transportation by metro grew (+4 %). Russia's manufacturing industry has demonstrated continuous growth over the past six years. By the end of 2021, the GVA in manufacturing increased by 6.1 % compared to pre-COVID 2019; growth was observed in most manufacturing industries.
A direct consequence of the aggression against Ukraine was a noticeable decrease in the potential to achieve the objectives of this SDG. The rapid deterioration of the institutional environment, the restriction of capital flows, the deterioration of the protection of the rights of foreign investors led to a slowdown of many innovative projects and research, problems in the implementation of infrastructure projects, as well as difficulties in industry, which, among other things, is experiencing serious problems associated with the unavailability of foreign technologies.
Regarding responsible consumption, the focus of SDG 12, entire departments in companies began dealing with sustainable development, including responsible production and consumption practices. As of January 2021, there were 63 job openings related to sustainable development in Russia, and by January 2022, this number had risen to 241. The increase in job openings was due to global trends in ESG, requirements from foreign investors, and the opportunity to enter Western markets.In the autumn of 2021, the development of a standard for sustainable development in construction in the tourism industry began . The media launched special projects dedicated to responsible consumption. According to a VTsIOM survey in September 2021 more and more Russians practiced responsible consumption practices compared to 2019: 84 % tried to use energy-saving light bulbs (79 % in 2019), 76 % saved water (74 % in 2019), 45 % sorted waste (27 % in 2019), 41 % tried not to use personal vehicles, and 39 % disposed of hazardous waste responsibly (batteries, electronics, mercury lamps, etc.) compared to 23 % in 2019.
The work to achieve SDG 12 has slowed down significantly due to the departure of foreign companies that drove the changes, the departure of specialists, problems with the supply of equipment, and, in general, a change in focus, namely switching from develop-
ment mode to survival mode. However, not all initiatives have died. Some market players and individual specialists continue to do what they did in much worse conditions than a year earlier, trying to preserve their earlier achievements and move forward. Restrictions associated with a shortage of goods on the market and a drop in the disposable incomes of the population contribute to the development of services that help people spend resources more efficiently. But the incentives for such behaviour in the market are different than before. Such 'responsible production and consumption' are not by choice.
There were changes in the safety sector as well, as reflected in SDG 16. The annual number of registered violent deaths in Russia decreased significantly, from 23,170 cases in 2011 to nearly 11,000 cases in 2021. This reduction in violence is a positive development. However, it's important to note that this trend may not necessarily continue in the future.