MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's gross domestic product rose by 0.8 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, preliminary data from the Federal Statistics Service showed on Monday.
The growth rate was slightly below the 0.9 percent growth rate that Russia recorded in the first quarter.
The government officially forecasts growth of 0.5 percent this year, but some officials have suggested that the forecast may be revised up towards 1 percent.
However, economists polled by Reuters expect economic growth to stagnate in the second half of the year as Western sanctions over Ukraine contribute to capital flight and falling investment, predicting only 0.3 percent growth in 2014.
(Moscow Newsroom)