March 29 (Reuters) - Russia produced around 32,500 passenger cars in February, the Rosstat state statistics agency said on Wednesday, down 69.9% on the same month last year.

Russia's auto industry has been hit hard by the fallout of Western sanctions and Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, having been previously reliant on Western investment, parts and partnerships.

Car production in February was 52.6% higher than in January, according to the Rosstat figures. But during the first two months of the year, output was down 73.5% over the same period of 2022.

Russia's car industry suffered its worst year in 2022 since the collapse of the Soviet Union due to the Western sanctions and the departure of foreign automakers, producing just 450,000 passenger cars in total, down 67% from 2021. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov Writing by Jake Cordell Editing by Mark Potter)