Economy
How Putin's economic aide cherry-picks data for his reports Paid Members Public
Maxim Oreshkin, Vladimir Putin’s economic aide, gave a major interview to the Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid last week, in which he spouted figures showing that all is well in the Russian economy. He rarely resorted to using outright lies to make his argument, but he did cherry-pick and manipulate some
Troll farms and sanctions: Russian opposition gripped by libertarian activist’s questionable reporting Paid Members Public
Over the past week, two big talking points have emerged around the Russian opposition — both triggered by political activist Mikhail Svetov, founder of the Russian Libertarian Party, which has found a niche among young Russians on Twitter. First, Svetov’s SVTV News reported on how leading Russian economists helped to
Back to the pandemic — Russian stats body delays bad news publications Paid Members Public
Rosstat, Russia’s statistics agency, appears to be reverting to its pandemic-era practice of delaying the publication of statistical reports. Last week, Rosstat withheld the release of its latest socio-economic report which included information on soaring inflation levels across the country, until well into the evening. * Last week, Rosstat delayed
Central Bank tips economy towards recession to stem inflation Paid Members Public
The central bank has reacted aggressively to surging inflation, the falling ruble and the imminent increase in government spending. It hiked the base rate on Friday by two full percentage points, from 13% to 15%, and signalled there was little likelihood of rates coming back down again before spring or
Russian authorities start winding down the preferential mortgage program Paid Members Public
With the Russian Central Bank raising its base rate, the Russian authorities have begun tightening the conditions to access preferential and family mortgages. Previously, this scheme allowed Russians to take advantage of subsidized loans to buy houses. The program is consuming increasing levels of budget funding, but the authorities are
Why is the exchange rate so important to Russians and to the Kremlin Paid Members Public
This summer, Russia is facing its latest currency crisis. On Aug. 11, the dollar broke through the benchmark 100-ruble mark, while the euro was trading at 110 rubles. Its tumbling value has become a hot topic in the Russian media in recent weeks. Ordinarily, foreign exchange rates shouldn’t be
Russian Central Bank takes emegency measures as the ruble plummets Paid Members Public
Russia’s Central Bank, which is also responsible for national monetary policy, is trying to strengthen the falling ruble. Last week, it refused to invest in foreign currency as required by budget rules. But on Monday, as the dollar rate reached 100 rubles for the frst time since March 2022,
Falling ruble forces Russia to abandon its own budget principles Paid Members Public
The Russian ruble has continued its steep decline, reaching 95 rubles against the dollar and 105 against the euro this week. For Russians, this is more than the usual psychological blow (many are used to using the exchange rate as a barometer for the economy’s fortunes): it is a
