Russia has a one-sided economy, difficult to change it
- wages were rising faster than productivity gains
- sanctions helped central bank
- Russia needed to correct its economy and it has done
- needs to use sanctions to boost development
- Russia was forced to seek import substitution
- agricultural market has been cleaned out
- Russia is boosting its food security
- Russian economy may recover faster than first thought
- has avoided sharp output contraction in 2015
- must maintain positive trends
President Putin in usually defiant mood with headlines courtesy of Bloomberg as he hosts another tv phone-in during which he takes questions put to him by the Russian public for the 13th time.
It's an annual tradition dating back to 2001, although it was only in 2012 that Putin started taking questions via the internet. Beginning at noon Moscow time (Russia encompasses 11 time zones), the event is broadcast across three channels - Rossiya-1, Rossia-24 and Russia's Public Television channel, which provides sign language translation. As if that's not enough, it's also broadcast on three radio stations - Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii - so Russians can take part, whatever they're doing.
City AM has more at cityam.com
Those rose-tinted glasses are working just fine for Mr P