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In the wake of the recent anti-Russian sanctions and restrictions on the import of new technologies, the problem of achieving technological sovereignty and creating domestic import-substituting industries has come to the forefront for Russia. The need to achieve technological sovereignty is currently urgent for many countries due to the current geopolitical situation. At the same time, budget constraints force the governments of many countries to prioritize the development of certain industries. They are selected by countries according to various criteria.

Evgeny Goryunov, Head of the Monetary Policy Department at the Gaidar Institute, in a commentary for RT expressed his opinion that the Russian economy is not in danger of economic slowdown, despite the current slowdown in GDP growth. The expert believes that the decline in inflation and the subsequent reduction of the key rate by the Central Bank will support growth and prevent the negative scenario from materializing.

Olga Ponomareva, expert at the Economic Policy Foundation, said in a commentary for RIA Novosti that the increase in import tariffs on steel in the US from 25% to 50% will not lead to the desired strengthening of the US steel industry. In her opinion, the tariffs will have a negative impact on key consumers, which will increase costs and reduce competitiveness.

Andrei Zubarev, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s Digital Finance Studies Department, took part in the Moscow 24 TV channel’s educational project “Moslektorium”. In the program, the expert spoke in detail about the essence of mining, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, as well as about who earns on this market. He explained the principles of the formation of the price of cryptocurrencies, the functioning of crypto exchanges and their impact on the world economy. In addition, the expert answered question on the possibility of using bitcoins to buy goods in the future.

Kirill Chernovol, a researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s International Best Practices Analysis Department, commenting for RBC on a study conducted by the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration on the «renaissance of the culture of service” in Russia, raised a number of important issues related to trust in civil servants, attracting qualified personnel and motivation of officials.

Evgeny Goryunov, Head of the Monetary Policy Department at the Gaidar Institute, said in a commentary for RBC that the Bank of Russia had grounds for lowering the key rate at the next meeting on June 6. The expert noted that the steady decline in inflation was the main factor pointing in favor of a downward revision of the key rate at the next meeting of the Central Bank’s Board of Directors.

Anton Beloglazov, Head of Event-Based Economics Department at the Gaidar Institute, commented to RBC on fears of the Bank of Russia regarding a “bubble” in the primary residential housing market. The expert noted that, although the Central Bank records growth of the bubble indicator, it is more about “technical” growth rather than the actual emergence of such a risk.

Evgeny Goryunov, Head of Monetary Policy Department at the Gaidar Institute, commented to RBC on the possible reduction of the Central Bank’s key rate as early as in June. The main argument in favor of such a decision is a steady decline in inflation.

According to the Bank of Russia’s April data, the number of vacancies published on HeadHunter fell to its minimum since the beginning of 2022, while the number of active job seekers hit a five-year high. Lyubov Filin, Head of Evidence-Based Regulatory Practice Department at the Gaidar Institute, commenting to RTVI stated that the observed cooling of the labor market is a stable nationwide trend.

In late May, the Kazakhstan authorities reported the release of an unknown substance at the Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium-Magnesium plant (UKTMK).

Lyubov Filin, Head of Event-Based Regulatory Practice Department at the Gaidar Institute, told to Nezavisimaya gazeta, to what extent the examination leave of foreign citizens arriving under government quotas from mandatory examinations in Russian language, history and legislation will help to solve staffing shortage at the expense of migrants.

Kirill Chernovol, Researcher, International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, commented to RT that the RF authorities have no urgent need to raise taxes to cover the budget deficit. In his opinion, the government deliberately chooses debt financing and using reserve funds to avoid suppressing investment activity.

Vera Larionova, Researcher, Department for Digital Finance at the Gaidar Institute, spoke about the DeFi decentralized finance technology and ways to use it to make finance more accessible.

The law adopted by the State Duma on the accelerated release of maternity capital funds will have a positive impact on the public’s perception of the effectiveness of government agencies. Tatyana Ivakhnenko, a researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s Mathematical Modeling of Economic Processes Department, told RT.

The development of technological trends in metallurgy will accelerate the exploration of scarce resources and reduce the capital intensity of production. Antonina Levashenko, Head of the International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, expressed this opinion for Prime.

Lyubov Filin, Head of Evidence-Based Regulatory Practice Department, took part in the program “Day. The key points” at the RBC channel on May 22, 2025, where she discussed with the program hosts the growing partial employment in Russia. According to 2024, the average annual underemployment reached 4.61 mln, up 6% from 2023 and the highest since 2015.