Purpose. The place of the renewable energy production in the overall energy production in Russia and abroad is identified for the last decade and for the near future. Methodology and Approach. The data of the EU statistical services and the information generated by the state statistics bodies of Russia and by the Russian Ministry of Energy together with the plans and the forecasts of the industry bodies are analyzed. Results. The study reveals the real scale of the introduction of renewable energy sources (RES’s) in the energy sector of Russia and foreign countries, their place in certain Russian regions, and the dynamics of their part in meeting the demand for power and generating capacity. The study demonstrates a rather modest role of the RES’s in the global energy balance and the energy balance of Russia, including medium-term period. Theoretical and Practical implications. This study generalizes a significant amount of the statistical data, including those difficult to obtain, concerning the RES-based power production; the problem of lacking commercial justification for the widespread construction of the RES-based generating capacities is considered.