Prices aren’t rising. They’re ‘changing’

Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at a new wave of Russian economic newspeak — euphemisms deployed to cover up the reality of a slowing economy.

Russia’s economic newspeak

An interesting pattern has emerged in the Economic Development Ministry’s price monitoring reports over recent months. When prices fall, the ministry states it directly. White goods “got cheaper”, price drops for audio-visual equipment “accelerated” and automobiles “reduced in price”. But when prices go up, the language becomes a little less direct. Food prices “changed by 0.23%”, gasoline “changed by 0.9%”, diesel fuel “by 1.3%”. These items didn’t get more expensive — the prices just ‘changed’. In the official language, prices can either go down or ‘change’ — never rise.