The Guardian· Europe
Senior Russian banker fired after scathing speech on wartime economy
Andrei Klepach of VEB said Russia’s economy was falling behind China, US and ‘in some respects Ukraine’Europe live – latest updatesThe chief economist at Russia’s second-largest bank has been fired after a series of critical comments about the state of the economy, including warnings that Moscow would not win a prolonged economic war with Ukraine.Andrei Klepach, who had served in the role at the s
Published Monday, 17 August 2026 at 10:29

Andrei Klepach of VEB said Russia’s economy was falling behind China, US and ‘in some respects Ukraine’Europe live – latest updatesThe chief economist at Russia’s second-largest bank has been fired after a series of critical comments about the state of the economy, including warnings that Moscow would not win a prolonged economic war with Ukraine.Andrei Klepach, who had served in the role at the state-controlled development bank VEB since 2014, was fired days after Russian media reported on a scathing speech he had delivered to fellow economists in May. Continue reading...
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