OREANDA-NEWS Investments in the Russian economy are expected to decrease in 2026, but they are stronger than the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development of 0.5%, and the current values are the inertia of investments in 2024, said Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, on the sidelines of the XVIII Verona Eurasian Economic Forum in Istanbul.

At the end of September, the Ministry of Economic Development lowered Russia's GDP growth forecast for the current year to 1%, and for 2026 to 1.3% from 2.4% due to the observed gradual cooling of the economy. But in 2027, growth is expected to accelerate to 2.8%. The picture is similar with investments - in 2027, the ministry predicts their growth by 3.8%. However, the Ministry of Economic Development noted that in 2026 the volume of investments will still be "extremely large."

"According to our estimate, the fall (in investment) will not be 0.5% (forecast by the Ministry of Economic Development - ed.), but 1%," Shokhin said, answering a question from RIA Novosti.

He explained that the relatively positive investment data is currently the inertia of past decisions and does not reflect future trends. "Investments have behaved well this year, because the flywheel was still spinning. But they have grown precisely because they were made in 2024, in the first half. But this is balanced equipment that does not produce anything. Therefore, there will be disadvantages in 2026," the head of the association noted.