Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with TASS called the level of state participation in the country’s economy balanced. He also said that the state can be an effective owner.
“I believe that we have a generally balanced situation”, – the President said. He noted that less than half of the country’s 20 largest companies are state-owned entities.
“The question is not whether they are private or public. The question is how they work. If they really work competently, with income, bring revenue to the state, then the question arises as to whether this is an end in itself or something, privatization or not”, – the President said. He added that companies with state participation are the largest taxpayers in state budgets of all levels.
In November 2019, the head of the Accounts Chamber Alexei Kudrin said that over the past ten years, the state’s share in the Russian economy has grown by 10% and reached 47–48%.
In April, the Federal Antimonopoly Service reported that the state’s share in 2018 remained at a level of over 60-70%. According to the service, the role of the state in the economy is still growing, and there is a “merging of monopolies with the state” and “direct nationalization of production”. The economy, according to the FAS, is characterized by a high share of state participation and insufficient rates of privatization.