Is Russia's economy really hurting?

Russia’s economy was predicted to collapse after Western countries imposed unprecented sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. But this week, the Russian statistics bureau Rosstat said gross domestic product (GDP) in the first six months of the year had fallen by just 0.4%.

Capital investment is up, the ruble has rebounded and inflation — which soared when the war began — has started to subside, according to official data. This week, a top Russian government official…