In 2026, the international industrial exhibition INNOPROM will take place Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Belarus. There is also a strong possibility of a debut exhibition in India toward the end of the year. Anton Atrashkin, the program director of the fair, spoke with TASS about the international evolution of Russia’s premier industrial exhibition and the domestic technologies that will be introduced to the global market this year.
"Without false modesty, we can say that the INNOPROM exhibition has already transformed into the 'INNOPROM Universe,'" Atrashkin stated. He detailed the upcoming calendar, noting that the first INNOPROM held outside the CIS will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from February 8 to 10. This will be followed by the sixth "INNOPROM Central Asia" in Tashkent from April 20 to 22, which Atrashkin described as "mega-successful," as it draws buyers and participants from across the entire Central Asian region. He added that the flagship event will return to Yekaterinburg in July, followed by the second edition in Minsk in late September. "By the end of the year, we hope to launch another international project — the first INNOPROM in a country as large and important as India. Our plans are ambitious; Russian industrialists are tasking us with opening new markets," Atrashkin shared.
The selection of host countries is strategically driven by the interests of Russian manufacturers looking for new partners, investors, and opportunities for localized production. Atrashkin emphasized that the organizers move beyond intuition, relying instead on specific requests from company executives and government ministries in the target regions to ensure that the technologies brought to market meet local demand.
For this year’s inaugural INNOPROM exhibition in Riyadh, organizers have carefully curated a showcase of Russian technologies centered on energy, industrial IT, civil aviation drones, advanced metallurgy, and pharmaceuticals. These sectors align precisely with the priorities voiced by the Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, following the Kingdom’s role as a partner country at last year’s summit in Yekaterinburg. While the region remains a competitive stronghold for Chinese, American, and European manufacturers, Anton Atrashkin claims that Russian offerings hold a distinct edge in both pricing and quality across numerous sectors. Crucially, the Saudi Ministry of Investment is looking for more than just trade; they are inviting Russian firms to localize production, offering a streamlined regulatory environment designed to welcome new investors into the Kingdom's evolving economy.
The Riyadh exhibition will feature over 250 companies. The exhibition floor will display everything from specialized beach-cleaning machinery—recently proven effective during emergency operations in Anapa—to high-capacity tractors built for the rigors of the oil, gas, and construction industries. The transport sector is represented by high-speed electric trains and helicopters, alongside digital innovations like AI-driven geodata platforms and scale models of both large and small-modular nuclear reactors. Attendees will also explore the future of logistics through autonomous maritime transport, sophisticated navigation systems, and cutting-edge product-tracking solutions.
"In fact, the 'Chestny ZNAK' system developed in Russia has become the envy of many international colleagues who still struggle with fragmented systems for verifying product origin and quality," Atrashkin noted. "Our system is high-tech, universal, and truly represents a 'technology of tomorrow.' It is being presented here by our digital flagship in this field, the CRPT, which serves as the operator for the state’s marking infrastructure."
Atrashkin emphasized that Saudi Arabia represents a high-capacity market where entering companies can be certain of the demand for their technologies. "The fact that Saudi Arabia has risen to second place in terms of foreign tourists visiting Russia speaks to an immense mutual interest," he noted. "Naturally, our industrial manufacturers must capitalize on this momentum to promote their technology and products here. A second vital factor that we believe will drive success for Russian participants is the Kingdom's comprehensive industrial re-equipment under its Vision 2030 strategy, which calls for cutting-edge solutions across a wide range of sectors."
The expansion continues into Uzbekistan, where INNOPROM will be held for the sixth time. Atrashkin reported that the highest demand there is for Russian industrial and urban transport, road machinery, industrial IT, and infrastructure technologies. In Belarus, the focus has shifted toward collaborative projects and industrial alliances with Russia, while in India, organizers are currently in the process of selecting a venue in the capital, New Delhi.
The flagship platform remains Yekaterinburg, where the exhibition originated sixteen years ago. The 2026 event plans to showcase a complete industrial spectrum, ranging from mining and metallurgy to energy and new materials. Indonesia has been designated as the partner country for the 2026 fair. "As the world’s most populous Muslim nation with 280 million people, Indonesia is developing dynamically and undergoing processes very similar to our own, particularly regarding their industrial digitalization strategy," Atrashkin explained regarding the choice. "Indonesian participants will actively present their own industrial products, including electrical engineering, IT solutions, and solar technology."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: innoprom.com
Based on materials from TASS