Russia's Putin approves sale of 30% stake in Sheremetyevo Airport

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree removing Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport from the list of strategic enterprises, opening the way to sell a 30.4% government share. The state will keep a “golden share” that allows it to block any management decision it opposes, and the sale is barred to foreign investors. The buyer must preserve the core operations and continue modernising the airport.

The move is aimed at bolstering Russia’s strained public finances after more than four years of war in Ukraine. The federal deficit is projected to exceed official plans by over 1 trillion rubles (about $12.9 billion) in 2026, after reaching 5.73 trillion rubles (≈$69.6 billion) in the first half of the current year. Sheremetyevo Holding, which owns 66% of the airport, is linked to firms associated with Putin ally Arkady Rotenberg.

Sheremetyevo handles up to 87 million passengers a year, with 43.5 million in 2025, and remains profitable thanks to strong domestic traffic and flights to friendly countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Vietnam. In January, the holding acquired 100% of Domodedovo Airport for 66 billion rubles; Domodedovo was nationalised in June 2025 and serves about 15 million passengers annually.