Oleg i have 2 things to say.
1 ( off topic )
The numbers is the only thing that does not lie. People use convenient numbers to substantiate their opinions, find anecdotal examples, change facts, obscure the truth, but numbers ( collected properly ) will always tell the truth.
2) ( on topic).
( for the purpose of this discussion we will omit the volatility of the last 12 months, where Russia went from being best performing to the the worst performing market in the world and back to the best performing)
Russian economy has been growing leaps and bounds.. 8% y/y growth ever since the default in 1998, where it hit the absolute bottom. Every single indicator you can find has been expanding at the rate second to only china. Real income per capita, GDP, shrinking unemployment, etc.
Of course most of it was achieved by selling commodities.
(cont)

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Человек, который почувствовал ветер перемен, должен построить не щит от ветра, а ветряную мельницу