MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin assessed the situation in the Russian economy as stable. In an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel for the program ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin’, he stressed that the indicators achieved were better than not only the forecasts of Russia's opponents, but also the expectations of the country's leadership.
"The situation in the economy is stable, moreover, it is much better than what not only our opponents, but even we predicted," the president said, answering questions from journalist Pavel Zarubin. "On the whole, our situation is not just stable, but, I think, quite satisfactory. I'll put it this way - if not good," Putin added.
The Russian leader pointed out that one of Russia's main macroeconomic indicators - unemployment - was at a historic low. "Inflation is lower than expected and has, most importantly, a downward trend. I believe that by the end of the first quarter of this year, it may be close to 5% from the current 11.9%. And this is a very important indicator in order to ensure a decent living standard and provide people with real income," the president said. According to him, industrial production, agriculture and construction in Russia were also on the rise.