The growth in the Russian economy has “surprised” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in view of the sanctions against Moscow in the wake of the war in Ukraine. “It’s a war economy,” said IMF Communications Director Julie Kozack in Washington on Thursday. The Russian economy has a high proportion of military spending, which is fuelling production. “There’s also quite a lot of social transfers which are helping to raise consumption,” she said. However, there are currently also signs that the economy is “overheating” – such as a rise in inflation. Russia’s economic growth is expected to slow d…