The Kremlin acknowledged that the Russian economy had sagged due to the coronavirus, but judged that the fall was not so significant compared to other countries. This was stated by the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reports. On the other hand, he stressed that this is not a reason for reassurance.
Currently, the authorities are discussing assistance to certain sectors of the economy, but at the same time they note that the fan distribution of funds is recognized as less effective and more costly. Peskov explained that this “leads to a debt load – this is internal debt – and a reduction in some other investment programs.” “You know that the Russian leadership is concentrating on helping those sectors (of the economy) and those strata of the population that need it more,” he commented.
According to Rosstat, the net profit of medium and large companies in Russia in 2020 fell by 23.5 percent. The most unprofitable were the coal industry and catering. A strong deterioration in financial results in 2020 was observed in the activities of land and pipeline transport (minus 72.7 percent), as well as in trade