The accelerating inflation rate - to 8 - 10 percent, the rouble weakening to 32.4 roubles per one US dollar and the economy growth slowdown to 2 percent - these are the possible consequences of the oil price decline to 80 US dollars per barrel for Russia, the Economic Development Ministry has warned.
The RF Economic Development Ministry has published a forecast for 2013-2015 (already approved by the government). There are two main development scenarios: a moderately optimistic and conservative. The optimistic will be used in drafting the federal budget - it suggests that the state will start to actively work in the investment climate sphere and stimulate economic growth.
Under the conservative scenario the budget spending will become less, and by 2015 the state will achieve a zero budget deficit, but the state investment demand will be stagnating, and the growth tempo will decline by an average 0.4 percentage points.
Russia Becomes Small for United Russia
Russia has become small for the United Russia party - it is currently developing plans to control the future Eurasian Parliament.
United Russia on May 26 will elect Dmitry Medvedev as its chairman, and in June the party plans to hold an international forum of Eurasian conservatives. It is planned to invite to the forum political and non-governmental organizations of the countries that plan to join the Eurasian Union, the purpose of the event is to begin their integration on the basis of conservative values.
Putin Rules by Soviet Pattern
“The crisis was deep and we have fallen more than many countries. The reason? Because we have a one-sided economy” – Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Then Putin also talked about galoshes and praised the Soviet defense industry, however, said nothing about the fact that since these 70 years passed, another 20 years have passed, of which 12 years were the years of his rule.
Some countries during 20 and even 12 years have successfully conducted modernization and ceased to be economically one-sided.
One thing is bad now. Our second-fourth president is not changing, he is still a deeply Soviet person. The given quotation is illustratory, and it is not the only one testifying to the fact that Putin is still feeling deeply the Soviet trauma – as he had called it - the largest geopolitical catastrophe. That is, both the bad and good things for him are all in the past.
In Connection with Reorganization
Since the beginning of the current year, 19 heads of the Russian Federation constituencies have already resigned. The law on the elections of governors will come into force on June 1, and the federal centre seeks to swing as many governor replacement deals as possible under the old law in those regions, where the prot·g·s of the authorities are not very popular and run the risk of losing the elections.
Steps to Reconciliation
The authorities have started to take tentative steps towards reconciliation with the irritated society. Several close to the authority public figures at a time, including leader of A Just Russia Sergei Mironov and chairman of the Moscow City Duma Vladimir Platonov on Friday broke the silence and commented on the Moscow “state of siege,” calling for public dialogue and calm.
Apparently, the mass protest actions and police ‘sweep operations’ in the centre of the empty Moscow have been recognized as contradictory to the benign image of stability that is being created by the official TV channels. Maybe, the Kremlin officials even realize that against the background of barbarous detentions of peaceful citizens in the streets and in the city cafes the talk of the world financial centre looks like a clumsy joke. What kind of inflow of foreign investment could be here? What business? The authorities have driven the situation to the point of absurdity. The police arbitrary behaviour testifies to the state’s total unwillingness to admit the introduction of a de-facto state of emergency in Moscow.
Vladislav Menshchikov: “Rockets Made, Awaiting Sailing Orders”
Director General of the Almaz-Antei concern Vladislav Menshchikov told Vedomosti in an interview about the progress of designing new air defense weapons, how much the construction of new plants will cost and what Iran’s air defence potential is, as well as if there is any sense in creating weapons based on new physical principles.
VEDOMOSTI