Russia Seen Dodging Political Storm as Putin Rides Out Recession

  • Analysts see 30% chance that economic woes will bring unrest
  • Russia one of five emerging nations to hold major vote in 2016

President Vladimir Putin.

Photographer: Tatyana Zenkovich/EPA
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As Russia hunkers down for the second year of recession, most economists say a parliamentary election in September won’t unleash the kind of protests that rattled the country in 2011.

There’s a 30 percent chance that economic distress will translate into political unrest, according to the median of 27 estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Just six of the economists see at least a 50 percent probability of upheaval.