What will Russias economy look like in five years time?
We will have economic growth between 7% and 10% a year. The median wage will be between $600 and $1,000. Q: Will there be a middle class? A: Sure, sure. No doubt. Q: Yeltsin announced that he’s not running for President. Are you going to run? A: No. Q: Who would be your favorite? A: I would only support the candidate who had the support of Boris Yeltsin. Q: Russia’s social indicators are simply awful, and demographic trends give great cause for alarm. The average lifespan is plunging, mortality among infants is growing… A: That’s not true. That’s not true. For the last two years, mortality among infants has been declining in Russia. Q: How far does the pessimism, to be found in all strata of the population, hinder economic recovery? A: I wouldn’t use the word pessimism, so much as sober realism. Traditionally in Russia, people don’t like the authorities or trust them. For instance, if I said tomorrow that prices have risen by 10%, people would say, “Why aren’t you doing anything?” Bu
