VEB Chief Economist Fired After Criticising Russia’s Wartime Economy
Andrei Klepach, chief economist at Russia’s state-controlled VEB development bank since 2014, was dismissed after publicly warning about the country’s economic position during the war.
In short
- Andrei Klepach, chief economist at Russia’s state-controlled VEB development bank since 2014, was dismissed after publicly warning about the country’s economic position during the war.
Andrei Klepach, the chief economist of Russia’s state-controlled VEB development bank, has been dismissed following critical public comments about the country’s wartime economy, The Guardian reported on August 17.
Klepach, who had held the post since 2014, warned that Russia was falling behind China and the United States and, in some respects, Ukraine. He also argued that Moscow would not prevail in a prolonged economic contest with Ukraine.
His dismissal came days after Russian media reported on a strongly critical speech he delivered to economists in May. The episode draws attention to tensions surrounding public assessments of Russia’s economic performance during the war.
