If you were to measure the recent economic performance of the world’s major countries — say, those that comprise the Group of 20 — you might be surprised to find Russia among the top performers by most common metrics. This outcome is a fact. For example, based on data compiled by The Economist, Russia’s real growth in gross domestic product in the first half of 2012 at 4.4 percent exceeded all other countries except China, India and Indonesia. This unexpected outcome, which may or may not persist into next year, certainly seems at odds with the skepticism and negative perceptions of the country as seen from abroad and even often at home.
Read Here – The Moscow Times
looking beyond borders 
Would be interesting to find out how many western media outlets report Russia’s strong economic growth or is there an inherent tendency to focus only on the negative side to Russia’s development?
There is a tendency in the West to look down upon Russia, which is still seen through the Cold War prism. Let’s understand that the United States hasn’t really had an enemy in the real sense since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many have tried to build China into that role, but it is a very different story than the decades when Washington and Moscow were ready to press the nuclear button on each other!