{
  "id": 1357474,
  "title": "Krieg gegen die Ukraine: Moskau: Ökonom sagt Russland Niederlage voraus - Entlassung",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/krieg-gegen-die-ukraine-moskau-okonom-sagt-russland-niederlage-voraus",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T21:27:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/krieg-gegen-die-ukraine-moskau-oekonom-sagt-russland-niederlage-voraus-entlassung/100247611.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "In Moscow, prominent economist Andrei Klepatsch predicted defeat for Russia in its war against Ukraine and subsequently lost his job. The state-owned company VEB.RF, Russia's leading institution for economic development, fired its chief economist, according to several Russian media outlets on Sunday evening. Klepatsch had previously been quoted asserting that it was impossible for Russia to win the war of attrition against Ukraine and that the country was heading towards a crisis. He had also claimed in May that Ukraine would survive economically, citing his conviction that the Ukrainian economy would not collapse. However, Klepatsch's predictions were contradicted by Russia's increasing economic difficulties. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, consistently asserts that Russia will emerge victorious. Yet, it remains unclear whether Putin has achieved his war objectives. Klepatsch, 67 years old, is one of the most renowned economists in Russia, having worked for the sanctioned VEB, formerly Russia's state bank for foreign trade, for twelve years. Alexander Prokopenko, an expert from the Carnegie Moscow Center in Berlin, stated that Klepatsch never hid his views. Klepatsch confirmed his dismissal to the magazine Forbes, but declined to provide any reasons. Russian news outlet Wedomosti reported, citing their own sources at VEB.RF, that Klepatsch was fired because his personal assessments of Russia's economic and political situation did not align with the state-owned corporation's positions.",
  "summary": "Russlands Machtapparat zeigt sich stets siegessicher im Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine. Nun sorgt ein prominenter Moskauer Ökonom mit brisanten Aussagen für Furore - und spürt sofort die Folgen.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}