Abstract. The article presents the results of the surveys held by the REB among the Russian industrial managers, who assessed the levels of their products‟ competitiveness and of competition intensity faced by their enterprises; define the markets where their products are competitive; describe the factors negatively affecting the competitiveness both on the part of enterprises themselves and on the part of government economic policy. The article examines the role of the state in increasing competitiveness, as well as the impact of sanctions and coronavirus on competitiveness. The data are presented for the entire 22-year period of special competitiveness‟ surveys, but particular attention is paid to the trends of 2020–2021.