Putin Confirms Russian Economic Growth Slumped to 1% in 2025

Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia's economic growth slowed to one percent in 2025 after military spending failed to sustain previous gains.Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak projected continued stagnation for 2026 as high borrowing costs and inflation impact corporate investment.Former president Dmitry Medvedev also suggested kidnapping German politician Friedrich Merz while the Finance Minister proposed using online casinos to fund the war.