Merchant shipping, middle-class interests, and naval purpose

What was the state of Russia's merchant marine, and did it complement the navy?

Russia had little merchant marine because its middle class and maritime trade were limited, while railways were the more urgent national infrastructure.

Merchant shipping creates constituencies that invest, trade, and demand maritime protection. Russia's thin middle class left fewer merchants and industrialists able to form such a constituency. Its vast landmass also made railway development the more pressing economic need. Russia consequently had a weaker domestic case for a large ocean-going navy than the major maritime trading states.