Indicators

Russia’s Wartime Economy Shrinks for First Time Since 2023

People visit Red Square in Moscow.

Photographer: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Russia’s economy contracted in the first quarter for the first time since the start of 2023, a setback for President Vladimir Putin’s demand for continued growth as he pursues the war in Ukraine.

Gross domestic product shrank 0.2% in the first three months of the year from the same period a year earlier, according to Federal Statistics Service data published Friday.