MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/. Russia's GDP had grown by 3.5% by the end of 2023, which is a sure sign the economy is stable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with military personnel at the Vishnevsky hospital.

"Our economy dipped by 2.1% last year. Just recently I was told by the government that it went down not by 2.1%, but by 1.2%. That's significant. This year, the economy grew by 3.5% of the GDP. That's the main indicator of the economy’s health," Putin said.

"We have recovered from the fall and have gone upward. This is an absolutely fundamental issue," he emphasized.