MOSCOW, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.2 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, according to a preliminary estimate released Friday by the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat).
Rosstat said the physical volume index of GDP for the January-March period stood at 99.8 percent compared with the same period in 2025, indicating a slight contraction after the Russian economy posted 1 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The preliminary estimate was slightly better than the forecast of Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, which had earlier projected a 0.3 percent year-on-year decline in the first quarter. ■
