By Andrey Ostroukh MOSCOW–The Russian government acknowledged on Thursday that the country’s economy is going to take longer to recover than it previously expected, weighed down by the slump in the value of the ruble. Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev said Thursday that the economy, also battered by a drop in oil prices and Western sanctions, will return to growth no earlier than in late 2015 or next year. The latest forecast from the finance ministry follows a recent drop in prices for oil and gas, Russia’s key exports. Oil prices have tumbled to levels not seen since March 2009 with prices of other industrial commodities on which the country is reliant, such as nickel, also on the slide. Despite calls from many quarters to diversify away from commodities, Russia has made little progress over the years. Previously, the finance ministry said the economy might start recovering in […]