Top Russian economist fired over war cost warnings
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Andrey Klepach was dismissed as chief economist at VEB.RF after delivering a speech in May warning that Russia is losing technological and economic ground globally due to the war in Ukraine.
- Klepach stated that Russia’s costs in the war are mounting and predicted it would not win the attritional conflict, emphasizing that Ukraine has not collapsed despite Moscow’s expectations.
- Klepach warned that Russia’s GDP growth is lagging behind both the U.S. and Ukraine, with rising inequality and damaged infrastructure undermining long-term resilience.
- VEB.RF confirmed Klepach’s dismissal and stated a successor has already been selected, though no reason was given for the removal.
- Klepach criticized the declining quality of Russian governance, saying strategically consequential decisions are increasingly made without sufficient justification.
Why it matters: The ousting of a senior state economist for factual warnings about war-driven economic decline signals tightening intolerance for dissent within Russia’s official institutions. With Klepach citing measurable lags in growth and governance, his removal eliminates a rare internal voice forecasting systemic risk before public unrest emerges.
Ask SkimNews
