Former finance minister says it will be tough for Russia to meet some of its economic goals for next year Photo by Denis Larkin/Shutterstock MOSCOW, Oct. 31 (UPI) — Even with crude oil prices holding relatively stable, a former finance minister in Russia said it will be tough for the oil-based economy to hit 2017 targets. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the federal budget was based on oil priced at around $40 per barrel, about $10 per barrel less than the current level. Central Bank Gov. Elvira Nabiullina said the rate of inflation is expected to be close to its low-end outlook of around 5.5 percent this year and the International Monetary Fund said there are prospects for “modest” recovery starting in 2017. Alexei Kudrin , the director of Russia’s Center for Strategic Research and a former finance minister, was quoted by Russian news agency Tass as saying, […]