"Has Russia's economic crisis ended? That depends on who you ask. Ask Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, or any official of his United Russia party, and you will be told, "Of course it is over." They will even produce proof in the form of an unemployment rate that does not rise, unprecedented increases in pensions, and strong growth in construction and metal-working ... Ask a member of the opposition whether the crisis has ended, and you will be told that it is only just beginning. Gazprom's production is falling at a dizzying pace; the country's single-industry "mono-towns" are dying" (Quoted from article)