Russia's Economy in Trouble: Putin Acknowledges Struggles

Vladimir Putin has come clean about the economic struggles Russia is facing. The Russian president admitted that sanctions and worker shortages are causing problems in the economy. This comes after Russia's Central Bank raised interest rates to a whopping 21%. That's even higher than the emergency rate set after the Ukraine invasion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Russia's GDP to grow by 3. 6% in 2024, but Putin is worried. Russia's economy is growing thanks to high military spending, but there's a worker shortage. This is due to troop losses in Ukraine and people avoiding the draft. Inflation is on the rise, and the Central Bank is trying to control it by raising interest rates. The Russian ruble is weakening, and prices for food, transport, and building materials are soaring. Putin blamed external sanctions and shortages of personnel and technology for these issues. He also mentioned that these factors are affecting consumer prices. Inflation is currently at 8. 6%, which is more than double the Central Bank's target of 4%. Higher interest rates are making loans more expensive. Some experts think the Central Bank's plan to fight inflation by raising interest rates is misguided. They worry that this could slow down private investments and make supply-side issues worse in the future.