Russia's foreign trade stood at $710.6bn between January and November 2008, a 38.1-percent increase from the same period of the previous year.

Trade balance remained positive, with the surplus increasing from $117.1bn to $174.7bn. Similarly, exports grew 40.1 percent to $439.463bn, and imports climbed 38.6 percent to $245.818bn, RBC reports refrring to the Federal State Statistics Service.

Russia's foreign trade with its main trading partners outside the CIS went up 40.2 percent to $584.749bn, including $357.47bn with European Union countries, and trade with its key CIS partners jumped 35.7 percent to $100.532bn.

News source: RZD-PARTNER