Economics
Kremlin Can't Fudge the Economic Data, New Statistics Chief Says
- Agency suspected of seeking to massage numbers to suit Kremlin
- Previous head of Rosstat removed after Putin criticism
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It took less than a week from when President Vladimir Putin criticized the agency that produces Russia’s economic data in December for its chief to be out of a job. But his replacement says he’s not worried about Kremlin pressure to fiddle with the numbers.
“There is no political pressure, and it’s impossible in principle,” Pavel Malkov said in an interview in Moscow. “All the indicators are interlinked, so it’s practically impossible to rewrite them.”