The Country of

Russia
By: Nicholas deLaveaga
General Background Information of Country
Population: 142.3 million (July 2017 est.)
Primary Ethnicity: Russian - 77.7%
Size: Russia is the largest country in the
world, coming in at 17,098,242 sq. km which is
twice the size of both the US and China
Climate: Extremely cold winters (-30°C) with
heavy snowfall and dry, hot summers
Natural Resources: Russia has a wide natural
resource base including major deposits of oil,
natural gas, coal, many valuable minerals,
reserves of rare earth elements, and timber.
Agricultural products: Grain, sugar beets,
sunflower seeds, vegetables, fruits, beef and
milk.
Economic Growth Rate: 0.6% per year (2017 est.)
Which is considered very low
GDP: $4 trillion (2017 est.)
GDP Per capita: $27,900 (2017 est.)
Exports: $336.8 billion (2017 est.) Major
Partners: Netherlands 10.5%, China 10.3%
Imports: $212.7 billion (2017 est.) Major
Partners: China 21.6%, Germany 11%, US 6.3%
Notes: Russia has undergone significant changes since
the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a centrally
command economy towards a more market-based system.
Both economic growth and reform have stalled in recent
years, however, and Russia remains a predominantly
statist economy with a high concentration of wealth in
officials' hands.
 Lifestyle and Economy
- The sudden fall of the Soviet Union caused the collapse of many collective farms and
state-owned enterprises, shutting down thousands of factories and throwing millions of
people out of work and into mass poverty.

- The number of Russians living in poverty reached 19.8 million, the highest in a decade,
as the economy struggled through a recession accompanied by soaring prices that severely
hit consumers' purchasing power.

- Inflation of local currency and dropping oil prices have forced over 100,000 of
Moscow's citizens into poverty, forcing many to take refuge in the sewers of moscow, in
order to stave off the biting cold.

- Many of Russia’s poverty stricken citizens are forced to look for aid in homeless
shelters and soup trucks as they provide free food and sheltering. As Russian currency
continues to fall in value, prices rise, and many citizens are forced to use these options
as a means to save money for things they absolutely need, such as warm clothing.
Article #1: “Millions more Russians living in poverty
as economic crisis bites”
- In summary, this article talks about how the
economy of Russia has suffered through a great
recession, which has flung many of its citizens in to
poverty and homelessness. The article first goes into
detail on how an average of 19.2 million Russians (or
13.4% of the population) are living on less than 9,452
roubles ($139) a month, which is considered to be the bare
minimum of what Russia’s citizens earn. The article then
goes on about how more and more Russians have been
slipping into poverty which means that many of them
will not even earn enough to buy the necessary clothes
for the harsh winters that ravage the country. Finally
the article talks about the purchasing power of the
people, and how the Russian ruble’s continued decrease
in value has only stunted the growth of the consumer’s
hard earned money leading many on the path of poverty.
Article #2: Unequal Russia: is anger stirring in
the global capital of inequality?
- In summary, this article explains the dishonest
nature of Russia’s unequally distributed wealth and how said
wealth distribution is affecting Russia’s people. The article
first talks about how Russia boasts one of the most unfair and
uneven economies in the world, where the richest 10% of
Russians own 87% of all the country’s wealth. This would mean
that only 1% of the Russian population holds 46% of all the
personal bank deposits in the country. The article then goes
on to say that in march of 2017, one of the biggest protests to
hit Russia for several years took place, as an estimated
60,000 people got on the streets of nearly 80 cities, all
protesting the outrageous economic inequality. Finally the
article explains that because of this inequality, the Russian
working class has taken a big hit and many of its people are
unable to support their own families, let alone themselves.
 Article #3: Russia is a mess
- In summary, this article talks about how many of
Russia’s districts are suffering from widespread poverty as
they are unable to produce enough revenue to keep
themselves economically stable. According to the article,
only 10 of Russia’s 85 official regions are economically or
financially stable. Of the country’s remaining regions, only
6 manage to go rise above middle class because of the direct
federal subsidies that makeup at least 33% of their revenues.
The article then goes on to say that more than half of
Russia’s regions are struggling to fulfill their social
obligations and meet the federal government’s demands for
funding, leading many into debt and various states of panic
as a result. Finally the article states that to make matters
worse, the Russian government has raised the amount of
income it takes from these regions by 12% over the past four
years, and it is set to increase its cut by another 2% in 2018.
 Economic Predictions
Form the research conducted, I believe that I can safely say that Russia’s
overall economic growth has woefully stunted, and is actually shrinking
down at a remarkable pace. If I were to make a prediction about the future
of Russia’s economy based off its current status, I would say that Russia
will most likely hit another recession as the value of the ruble continues
to drop. This recession will throw more of Russia’s people into poverty,
causing mass up roar over the economic unbalance and absurd taxes. If this
were to happen, media coverage would be at an all time high as news outlets
flock to cover the intense riots and mass protests running amok through
the streets of Russia's districts. This would most likely show the world
how uneven and unfair their economy really is, leading many countries to
question their relationship with Russia and possibly back out from future
trade altogether, which of course would make the situation even worse.
Thank You For Your Time