We aim at finding the innovation modes of KIBS producers in Russia, i.e. looking at how such companies innovate and cooperate with their customers. We use a principal component analysis to construct the correlation matrix for innovation-related variables. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first empirical study on Russian KIBS firms and this helps shed some light on the innovation activity modes in developing countries. These results should help the national policy makers develop target policy initiatives to pursue the role of KIBS as active innovators in the national innovation system and distinguish this one among others by addressing KIBS roles differentially. Second, although KIBS is a term that unites different industries, all of them are knowledge-based, but the knowledge base and nature of products and services vary. This paper finds the variety of ways how KIBS innovate and interact with their clients. This tends to add value in improving industrial classifications for KIBS compared to manufacturing establishments.