Report: Russia’s imports plunge in March – Oreshkin

MOSCOW, Apr 15 (PRIME) -- Russia’s imports plunged by dozens of percent in March due to the logistics restrictions and withdrawal of foreign companies, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Maxim Oreshkin said in an interview to Rossiya 24 television channel aired on Friday.

“Imports fell significantly on the back of logistics and other types of restrictions and withdrawal of some companies from the Russian market. For instance, in March it fell by dozens of percent,” he said, adding that the situation may continue throughout the year.

Different estimates show that Russia’s current account surplus may exceed U.S. $200 billion in 2022, and in January–March, it amounted to $58.2 billion, he said.

No one is going to stop the economic war against Russia, there will be new rounds of sanctions, and assets of any banks or companies in foreign countries may be seized any moment, he said.

Oreshkin said that there was excessive offer of foreign currency on the market, in part thanks to a government’s decision to abandon the budget rule. Accumulation of currencies of the unfriendly countries leads to serious risks for the entities that hold them, and the market restrictions reduce the risks, he said.

The Russian government will continue monitoring the situation with people’s incomes, and may introduce additional measures, if necessary, he added.

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