Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was very confident that the peak of the economic crisis was now over.
"I can say with a large degree of confidence that the peak of the crisis is over, though turbulent factors in the global economy and, as a consequence, in the Russian economy, still persist," Putin said at a televised question-and-answer session.
At the same time, Putin said that crisis exit measures still required further efforts, resources and time.
"But, on the whole, positive trends are becoming ever more evident," Putin said.
Inflation in Russia will be under 9% this year, Putin said.
"We will most likely reach a one-digit figure, below 9%," Putin said.
Consumer prices grew 8.4% in the first eleven months of 2009. Inflation in Russia measured more than 13% in 2008.
Putin also said that Russia's GDP will decline 8.5-8.7% and industrial output 13% in 2009.
However, despite the profound industrial decline, some sectors are demonstrating positive dynamics, including defense industries with output growth of 3.7% and space industries with production expansion of 13%, Putin said.
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti)
