Russia targets 50% driverless vehicles by 2050, with autonomous trucks already active

The Russian Ministry of Transport plans that half of all the vehicles operating in the country will be unmanned by the year 2050. The goal was announced on Thursday by the Deputy Transport Minister, Vladimir Poteshkin. He stated that “efforts are currently underway to create the necessary conditions for this”.

This goal is part of a broader push for a fully autonomous transportation sector. Poteshkin said about 90 driverless freight trucks are currently in operation, transporting goods along national toll roads. He also said the vehicles have traveled a combined total of over 6 million kilometers so far.

Russia has already crushed milestones in its push for autonomous transport — back in April, Russia launched a fleet of fully autonomous freight vehicles on the Central Ring Road in Moscow. Prior to this, a similar operation has been operating on the M-11 Neva highway since 2023. Also, more recently, an unmanned truck completed a 1,600-kilometer journey from St. Petersburg to Kazan, though it did so with engineers present in the cab.

To support its push for full Level 5 autonomy — where vehicles will require no drivers at all — Russia is adapting its regulations and road infrastructure. Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin stated that a comprehensive strategy is in place for the development of unmanned transport through 2028. A key part of this strategy is a new federal law on highly automated vehicles, which officials expect to adopt in 2026 and enforce in the third quarter of 2027.