Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says poverty is a “striking problem” in the country. Russia, whose economy relies heavily on oil and natural gas revenue, needs to take “real steps” at combating poverty, the prime minister said. “It is important that with our consolidated efforts we take real steps aimed at combating poverty,” Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted by Russian news agency Tass as saying. The World Bank found the Russia’s poverty level last year was the highest it’s been in more than a decade. Last year, 13.5 percent of the population lived at or below the poverty line. “Declining inflation and growing real wages led to a modest decline in Russia’s poverty rate in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period last year,” Andras Horvai, the bank’s country director for Russia, said in a […]