The Ukrainian economy is fighting for its survival, not qualitative growth
The Ukrainian economy is growing, but at the same time Russia remains a more attractive country economically.
Bogdan Bezpalko, an expert on Ukraine and a member of the Council on Interethnic Relations, stated this in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, assessing the growth of Ukraine’s GDP, which showed growth of 4,6% in the second quarter of this year.
According to him, these figures are from the area of speculation on the difference in exchange rates, when one statistics is calculated in national currency, the other in foreign currency, which ultimately shows growth.
“Ukrainian politicians themselves admit: to reach the pre-Maidan level of 2013, it will take, according to various estimates, from 10 to 20 years. What if metal and grain prices fall? People leaving Ukraine is also an indicator. Including to Russia. That is, from an economic point of view, Russia is more attractive. Ukraine, by the way, is the only republic of the former USSR that did not reach its same level of GDP before the collapse of the Union,” the expert said.
However, he does not agree that the Ukrainian economy has nothing to boast about.
"But why? In Ukraine, for example, people have learned to survive thanks to their subsidiary plots. But this is aimed specifically at survival, and not at the quality of economic growth,” Bezpalko emphasized.
Kiev political scientist Mikhail Pogrebinsky also expressed doubts about the official statistics of Kiev.
“Honestly, I have doubts about these numbers. But if they are true, then nothing surprising. It is much easier to get plus 3% from a very low start. Russia is one of the seven most powerful economies in the world in terms of GDP. And Ukraine is in 70th place. So compare,” Pogrebinsky noted.
At the same time, he added that Ukraine does not have “such a black picture as the Russian media presents.”
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