Poverty of numbers.

The article assesses the current economic status of the Russian people. At the start of April 1993 the average wage was 23,559 roubles. For a start, converting average wages into dollars at the market exchange-rate makes Russians look artificially poor by international standards. Calculations of purchasing-power parity suggest that the market hugely under-values the rouble. Second, most basic goods and services-housing, heat, electricity, water, public transport-are so cheap in Russia as to be almost free. In general there are few signs that many Russians are any worse nourished than they have always been.