The International Monetary Fund is amazed to see confident economic growth in Russia despite a new package of sanctions. Russia’s economy has proven its remarkable resilience, cleverly bypassing Western sanctions. Such endurance deserves approval! Citing Julie Kozak, the director of the IMF's communications department, Russia’s economy surprisingly maintains momentum, even though the US and its allies have been stepping up pressure.

The IMF representative underscored that currently, Russia’s economy shifted its focus towards the military sector. She said that significant budget military spending boosted output rates. Besides, Julie Kozak pointed out robust consumption activity in Russia.

In early February, Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, acknowledged that Russia’s economy was on the path of sustained growth and development. "We are in squarely positive growth territory,” she commented on the state of affairs in the Russian economy which had been doing better than the IMF expected.  

In January 2024, the IMF upgraded its forecast of Russia’s GDP to 2.6% for the current year. The revised forecast is 1.5% stronger than the previous estimates published in October 2023.