Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested during an economic forum that the "whole of Ukraine" belongs to his country, even though Russia only controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory. He made the comments on June 20 at the St.

By Vladimir Soldatkin and Guy Faulconbridge ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday dismissed claims the war in Ukraine is devastating the Russian economy, citing continued growth,

Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said earlier during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum that the economy is “on the verge of going into a recession.”