Russia’s state statistics office has published positive economic data for the past year, just a few weeks before the expected re-election of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian economy grew by 3.6% in 2023 compared to 2022, the Rosstat agency announced in Moscow on Wednesday based on initial calculations. In 2022, gross domestic product (GDP) had shrunk by 1.2%. This was the year in which Russia began its war against Ukraine and was hit with numerous sanctions. According to the Tass agency, Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said that the recovery was based on internal factors such as consum…