NEWSWATCH: “Life in Vladimir Putin’s Russia explained in 10 charts” – BBC/ Alex Murray, Tom Housden, Anastasia Napalkova, Sandra Rodriguez Chillida, Joy Roxas, Zoe Bartholomew

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

“1. Fewer people are poor … 2. But wage growth has stalled recently … 3. More people have a car, and there are more microwaves than households … 4. Russians fell in love with Ikea … 5. And champagne … There’s some dispute over how much Russians drink. … 6. … the internet took off … 7. But circuses are in decline … 8. And so are public libraries … 9. Russia’s population is growing again: One of … Putin’s big goals is to turn around the dramatic population decline … 2012 saw Russia’s birth rate exceed the death rate for the first time in 21 years. … it dropped off in 2017 … The highest birth rates are in Caucasus republics …. 10. … Putin is spending more than ever on the military …. [doubling it as] a percentage of GDP … [and] flex[ing] …military might in Chechnya, Georgia, eastern Ukraine and most recently Syria.”

Click here for “Life in Vladimir Putin’s Russia explained in 10 charts” – BBC/ Alex Murray, Tom Housden, Anastasia Napalkova,
Sandra Rodriguez Chillida, Joy Roxas, Zoe Bartholomew

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