For the first time in several years, the Russian Federation ended the year in financial advantage.. The state budget was executed with a surplus despite the tightening of Western sanctions. This fact for Europe was a real surprise.. Published recently indicators of Russia's economic development surprised many in the West, writes the German edition of Die Welt. "These data were not to the taste of those who hoped that various economic sanctions would produce a quick and extremely negative effect on the Russian economy," the publication notes.. The main reason for the economic success of the Russian Federation was a sharp increase in oil prices.. The value of black gold, plummeting in the period from 2014 to 2016. , at the beginning of this year it went up by more than 16%, and in the middle of last year - by 75% in general. It was the oil factor that provided in the first half of the year half of the net profit in the Russian real economy, experts of the Higher School of Economics say. Another explanation for the super-profits that the state budget received was the “new dynamics of the ruble”. "Contrary to the old traditions, the Russian currency is no longer developing in proportion to the price of oil. Although the sharp depreciation of the ruble by more than half between 2014 and 2016. was largely due to the then fall in oil prices and the first Western sanctions. However, the rise in the price of oil on the ruble then did not practically reflect ", - the article says. Russian currency has become less dependent on foreign policy conditions. In April, the US authorities imposed severe sanctions against Moscow, and the ruble fell noticeably in price.. However, after the imposition of the August restrictions and the threat of continued sanctions pressure, its value remained almost unchanged.. It is at a relatively stable level, which is acceptable for both the population and the state budget.. German journalists suggested that the initiators of the anti-Russian sanctions, apparently, did not take into account that the situation with the weakening of the ruble would be beneficial for export companies and the Russian budget revenues. "Not only has the number of petrodollars increased dramatically, but also when exchanging for cheap rubles in the country, their cost increased, while spending in rubles remained at the same level.

The cheap ruble also raised the price of imported goods, making domestic goods more attractive, as a result of which imports declined and export revenues increased, "emphasizes Die Welt. Now Moscow is concerned with creating a margin of safety in case the situation worsens.. It does not invest windfalls in development, but accumulates reserves of this money.. The likely tightening of sanctions and the isolation of the Russian Federation from the outside world will be a serious test for the country, which it will be helped to pass through by extensive reserves..