12 Nov 2009 12:32

Economic decline in Russia deeper than in other countries

MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax) - The economic decline caused by the global crisis was more profound in Russia than in the majority of countries, President Dmitry Medvedev said in the state of the nation address on Thursday.

"The need for change has grown in the recent months. The global financial crisis affected everyone, but the economic decline was more profound in Russia than in the majority of countries," he said.

"We should not seek the culprits only outside the country," Medvedev said. "We must admit that we did not do enough for solving problems inherited from the past. We did not get rid of the primitive economic structure and the humiliating dependence on raw materials. We did not target the production at the real needs of people," he said.