Russian economic growth slowed to 1.3 per cent in 2019: official statistics

Russia's economic growth slowed to 1.3 percent last year, the state statistics agency said Monday.

The figure represents a considerable drop in pace from the 2.5 per cent expansion in 2018, and presents a major challenge to the government of Vladimir Putin who has said the country should see a higher pace of economic growth than the rest of the world in 2021 after five years of falling incomes for Russians.