Russia’s economy is struggling at the beginning of 2016. Low oil prices and Western sanctions against Russia continue to affect the country’s economy. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev thinks the economy is looking better than one year ago. But he told a conference this week that Russia must prepare for the worst-case scenario. In such a case, conditions would worsen, not improve. Medvedev spoke in Moscow at the yearly Gaidar Forum on economics. He noted that 2015 was probably the most difficult year for Russia economically in the past 10 years. The level of economic activity shrank 3.8 percent last year. Two main reasons for this were the sharp drop in the price of oil and Western economic sanctions. Oil is Russia’s main export. Its price has dropped about 70 percent to $30 a barrel over the past 12 months. Western countries placed sanctions on Russia because of its 2014 takeover of Crimea.
Title: Russians Hurt By Falling Oil Prices, Sanctions
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/rus_audio.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Russians Hurt By Falling Oil Prices, Sanctions' data-article-id='1167'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='5167'>Russia’s economy is struggling at the beginning of 2016. </span> <span data-start-time='5167' data-end-time='14083'>Low oil prices and Western sanctions against Russia continue to affect the country’s economy. </span> <span data-start-time='14083' data-end-time='22063'>Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev thinks the economy is looking better than one year ago. </span> <span data-start-time='22063' data-end-time='29438'>But he told a conference this week that Russia must prepare for the worst-case scenario.</span> <span data-start-time='29438' data-end-time='35375'>In such a case, conditions would worsen, not improve.</span> <span data-start-time='35375' data-end-time='42792'>Medvedev spoke in Moscow at the yearly Gaidar Forum on economics. </span> <span data-start-time='42792' data-end-time='53000'>He noted that 2015 was probably the most difficult year for Russia economically in the past 10 years. </span> <span data-start-time='53000' data-end-time='59708'>The level of economic activity shrank 3.8 percent last year.</span> <span data-start-time='59708' data-end-time='68313'>Two main reasons for this were the sharp drop in the price of oil and Western economic sanctions. </span> <span data-start-time='68313' data-end-time='71521'>Oil is Russia’s main export.</span> <span data-start-time='71521' data-end-time='80646'>Its price has dropped about 70 percent to $30 a barrel over the past 12 months.</span> <span data-start-time='80646' data-end-time='89375'>Western countries placed sanctions on Russia because of its 2014 takeover of Crimea. </span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/rus_image.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=5077 data-hint-location='5167' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/what_is_the_cause_of_russias_economic_problems.m4a'>What is the cause of Russia's economic problems?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='low oil prices'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/trade_embargo.m4a'><span>trade embargo</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/housing_market.m4a'><span>housing market</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/low_oil_prices.m4a'><span>low oil prices</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/stock_market.m4a'><span>stock market</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=5078 data-hint-location='68313' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/_blank__is_russias_main_export.m4a'><span class='blank'>oil</span> is Russia's main export.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='oil'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/fur.m4a'><span>fur</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/oil.m4a'><span>oil</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/ivory.m4a'><span>ivory</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/vodka.m4a'><span>vodka</span></div></div></div><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=5079 data-hint-location='22063' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/what_does_scenario_mean.m4a'>What does scenario mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a description of what could possibly happen'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/a_state_of_ruin.m4a'><span>a state of ruin</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/a_person_who_buys_goods.m4a'><span>a person who buys goods</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/actions_taken.m4a'><span>actions taken</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/768/a_description_of_what_could_possibly_happen.m4a'><span>a description of what could possibly happen</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button 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