Ukrainian conflict, low oil prices, putting pressure on Russian economy, though Kremlin defends policies amid Moody’s credit downgrade. UPI/Ivan Vakolenko Finance Ministry criticized a credit downgrade from ratings agency Moody’s as pessimistic and out of step with developments in the oil-laden economy. “I suspect that in making this decision to lower the rating the agency was guided by political factors above all,” Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Saturday. “I believe that Moody’s rating is not just overly negative, but also based on an extremely pessimistic forecast, unparalleled these days.” Moody’s said the security situation in Ukraine and the weak market for crude oil was diminishing Russia’s economic strength. The rating’s agency last week said the outlook for Russia was negative, leading to a downgrade in the government bond rating. “The risk is rising, although still very low, that the international response to the military conflict in Ukraine triggers a […]