During the past three years, the current state and the prospects of Russia's economy have provoked positive and negative forecasts within the country and among authoritative international agencies. By 2013, however, the arm of the barometer began definitely moving toward the storm.
According to official data, since the last quarter of 2012, Russia's economic dynamics began slowing down. During the first three quarters of the current year, the growth rate amounted to 1.3 percent only.
A report prepared by the High School of Economics stated that the 3 percent annual growth, which only recently was regarded as "unbelievably low," looks by now to be "almost unattainable."