Putin's War Machine May Be Giving His Economy A Quiet Boost
Defense production may be helping offset drops in other industries, economists say.
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President Vladimir Putin’s expanding war effort appears to be lifting Russian industrial production, helping his economy outperform many of the worst forecasts amid sanctions.
The secrecy surrounding the manufacture of military hardware hasn’t fully obscured the impact it’s starting to have on output. Production of “finished metal goods” -- a statistical line that besides items like cutlery includes weapons, bombs and various types of ammunition -- surged almost 30% in July from a year earlier after steep declines in the previous months.