Systematic Rollback of Economic Transparency
The Russian Federation has been systematically restricting public access to a wide array of key economic indicators, a trend that intensified following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This move, interpreted by Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU), suggests a deliberate effort to conceal the true condition of the country's economy amidst ongoing conflict and international sanctions. By the end of 2025, approximately 168 tables were removed or reduced in statistical yearbooks, and 115 indicators on the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System (EMISS) ceased to be updated.
The concealment extends across various government bodies, including the federal statistics agency Rosstat, the Ministry of Finance, and the Federal Customs Service. This lack of transparency has raised concerns among international observers and economists regarding the reliability of available Russian economic data.
Key Indicators Withheld from Public Access
The range of economic and social data no longer publicly available is extensive, impacting the ability to accurately assess Russia's economic health. Among the critical indicators that have been removed or are no longer updated are:
- Household income and expenditures, including results from 'sample surveys of household budgets' which provided insight into spending on food, utilities, and medicine.
- Salaries of various public sector employees, such as doctors, teachers, nurses, academics, researchers, and cultural workers, as well as the number of civil servants.
- Demographic statistics, including monthly data on births, deaths, marriages, divorces, age- and region-specific mortality, and causes of death.
- Foreign trade statistics, encompassing exports, imports, and trade within the Eurasian Economic Union.
- Real retail and wholesale trade figures, adjusted for inflation, and estimates of real GDP growth.
- Information on the structure of the Central Bank's gold and foreign currency reserves.
- Oil and gas production figures, and data on gasoline and diesel fuel production.
- Federal budgetary expenditure and sources of deficit financing.
In many instances, the label 'temporarily closed' has appeared in place of current figures, a phrasing that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, is increasingly used to mask sensitive information.
Reasons and Implications
Ukrainian intelligence and various analysts suggest that Russia's systematic data concealment serves multiple purposes. Primarily, it is seen as an attempt to hide the true impact of international sanctions and the financial strain of the war on Ukraine. The move is also interpreted as an effort to obscure structural economic problems, declining investment, and constrained export markets. Analysts from Promsvyazbank (PSB) noted that the withholding of data in mid-2025 followed President Vladimir Putin's directive to 'in no case allow an economic downturn,' suggesting a political motivation to manage perception and maintain an illusion of economic resilience.
The lack of transparent data significantly hinders independent economic analysis and public debate, potentially leading to speculative market trading based on fragmented information. It also complicates efforts to identify sanctioned entities and conduct due diligence, impacting global compliance and risk management. Economists warn that suppressing basic macroeconomic data reduces accountability and undermines the credibility of fiscal and monetary policy decisions.
Historical Context and Escalation
The trend of data restriction is not entirely new, with some measures dating back to 2022 when Russia stopped publishing detailed foreign trade and oil export data for several months. However, the current scale of data concealment represents a significant escalation, affecting a broader spectrum of economic and social indicators. This ongoing reduction in transparency is viewed as an integral part of Russia's information warfare, aiming to obscure the effects of sanctions and control the narrative surrounding its economic performance.
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