The paper examines the importance of the Russian Empire inthe formation of international grain market. Analyzing the main factors in the emergence of international grain market we argue that the Russian Empire was one of its
founders. We pointed out the role of Russia regarding each factor: geographical specialization of crops, formation of regional grain markets, and the decrease in the costs of transportation, the development of large seaports and constitution
of merchant networks that controlled the transportation of cereals from within
the boundaries of a country towards the external markets.
