Russia's positive trade balance rose 1.8 times in the first half of the year, reaching 93.9 billion U.S. dollars, Interfax news agency reported Friday.

According to Federal Customs Service, foreign trade balance rose 39.3 billion dollars to 81.7 billion. Trade balance with the "near abroad" (former Soviet republics) rose by 1.9 billion dollars to 12.2 billion.

Total volume of Russia's foreign trade in the first six months of 2010 amounted to 283.8 billion dollars, 44.5 percent up year-on-year. This amount includes 242.8 billion dollars (44.8 percent up) of trade with the "far abroad" and 41 billion dollars (up by 42.5 percent) with the "near abroad" countries.

Russia's export in the period rose 51.5 percent year-on-year reaching 188.8 billion dollars, including 162.2 billion trade with far abroad (54.4 percent up) and 26.6 billion (36 percent up) with near abroad.

Average export prices for the period rose 19.4 percent while physical volumes of exporting commodities grew by 31.5 percent. Fuel and energy commodities comprised 71.9 percent of Russian exports, up from 69 percent in the same period in 2009.

Russian imports amounted to 95 billion dollars, up 32.3 percent year-on-year.

Russia's main trade partners this year are the Netherlands, China, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Poland, the United States, France, Japan and South Korea.