Russian economy: SANCTIONS backfire, return to growth, investment surge

The Duran: Episode 2520Despite repeated Western claims that Russia is on the brink of economic collapse, the latest data tells a very different story as the Russian economy returned to growth in March 2026 with real incomes continuing to rise and investment now reaching 23% of GDP. Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran unpack the stunning paradox at the heart of the sanctions regime: the very measures designed to cripple the Russian economy are instead driving a domestic investment surge that is making Russians wealthier, with GDP per capita now approaching levels comparable to Britain. Could it be that a decade of Western pressure has quietly produced the most resilient version of the Russian economy in modern history?00:00:00 Introduction: Is the Russian Economy on the Brink?00:00:30 Q1 Contraction Revised: January and February Figures00:00:55 March Rebound: Economy Grows 1.8% Year on Year00:01:30 Overall Q1 Performance: 0.3% Contraction00:02:11 Growth Forecast Revised Down to 0.4% for 202500:02:43 Oil Prices and the Budget: Stabilization Underway00:03:17 Putin Meets Economics Minister Rashettnikov00:04:02 Real Incomes Rising as Inflation Falls00:04:44 Investment at 23% of GDP: A Long Term Growth Driver00:06:16 Why Sanctions Are Driving Investment Growth00:07:15 The Sanctions Paradox: Capital Stays in Russia00:07:46 EU 21st Sanctions Package Targets Shadow Fleet00:08:08 Britain and Russian Tankers: 238 Pass Unchallenged00:09:04 Russian Economy Up 20% Since 201600:09:50 GDP Per Capita: Russia Now Rivals Britain***THE DURAN SHOP***https://theduranshop.com***REVERSE GEAR SHOP***Athleisure with Stylehttps://reversegear.shop/***THE DURAN COMMUNITY ON LOCALS***https://theduran.locals.com Join Now Get 1 Month Free Trial***OUR OFFICIAL CHANNELS***ALEXANDER: https://www.youtube.com/AlexanderMercourisRealALEX: https://www.youtube.com/alexchristoforou***CRYPTO SUPPORT***BITCOIN: 3JvdnoyWMb93hSRgk58ZstUxg11PW9mKSrETHEREUM: 0xF39BdFb41f639B82E3D2Bf022828bC6394F533A3LTC: MGFiMC18ZViF6DcCixMqAAP11TG4tF6AcjEMC2: EXX4KK9pZLx7uiLWnCXtp7iMKjtq6o5b6R***DONATE***CREDIT CARD: https://donorbox.org/the-duranSUBSCRIBE STAR: https://subscribestar.com/theduran PATREON: https://patreon.com/theduran***VIDEO***RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/theduranODYSEE: https://odysee.com/@theduranBITCHUTE: https://www.bitchute.com/theduran/***AUDIO***SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/3pMrfPDAPPLE PODCASTS: https://apple.co/2H9Hk0aSOUNDCLOUD: https://bit.ly/354ASQ9***FREE SPEECH***TELEGRAM: https://t.me/thedurancom X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheDuranReal?s=20GAB: https://gab.ai/TheDuranMINDS: https://minds.com/theduranAmazing music contribution from Peter Brown. Follow Peter's music: https://soundcloud.com/peterboy100...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FpoioPRNHI