Russia in recession, rouble crashes – Kremlin insists situation “stable”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has claimed that Russia’s macroeconomic situation remains “reliable and predictable” despite the rouble’s collapse and the onset of recession.

Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet

Details: Peskov’s comment came amid a sharp fall of the rouble: the euro rose above 100 roubles for the first time since February, the dollar climbed to 85.91 roubles, and the yuan to 12.05.

The Russian currency has lost 10-12% of its value since mid-July.

Official data shows that Russia’s economy contracted by 0.6% quarter-on-quarter for two consecutive quarters, meeting the definition of a “technical recession”. The Ministry of Economic Development recorded almost zero annual growth – just 0.4% in July.

Peskov explained the fall of the rouble as a result of “market processes” and said that exchange rates always spark disputes between exporters and importers.

Background: Russia’s economy faces deeper problems than officially acknowledged, and in the coming year there is a real risk of a systemic banking crisis.