Russian State Economist Fired After Warning of Economic Decline and Social Crisis
A prominent Russian state economist, Andrei Klepach, has been dismissed from his position as chief economist at state development bank VEB.RF. This dismissal follows his public statements warning that Russia is losing an economic 'war of attrition' with the West and faces potential technological and economic decline, which could lead to a social crisis. Klepach, who previously spent a decade at Russia’s Economy Ministry and held his VEB.RF role since 2014, stated in a May speech that Russia is falling behind technologically and economically, not only compared to China and the United States but also to Ukraine. He emphasized that Russia would not win the 'war of attrition' and that its costs were mounting, despite the country's initial resilience to Western sanctions. His remarks, though made in May, gained wider attention recently, coinciding with the European Union's preparations for expanded sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial complex. 
