The Russian government's official newspaper highlights the positives of being the world's 4th-worst performing economy

Despite bleak economic forecasts for the year ahead, Russia's official newspaper of record, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, has found a silver lining in a new article titled “Naming the Pluses of Adding the Russian Federation to the List of Worst-Performing Economies.”

Yes, the Russian economy will experience hard times in 2016. Bloomberg rated Russia fourth from last in terms of performance among 93 other world economies. Russia's economy is expected to contract by 0.5 percent this year. 

But Greece, Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador will likely fare even worse.

Vice rector for the Academy of Labor and Social Relations Alexander Safonov agrees with Bloomberg's forecast for Russia. Not only does he agree, but he is eager to point out that there are potential opportunities for the Russian economy, because it is still highly export-oriented and focused on commodities. 

Take into account that oil prices are forecast to remain low, Safonov argues, and there is no need to wait for economic growth. Additionally, Russia does not presently have much access to foreign investment, and attaining funds within the country is difficult. So consumer demand will continue to decline, hurting a range of manufacturers, says Safonov.

But even these economic setbacks could in fact be a boon in the long run, Safonov believes.

“Growth in the value of foreign currencies will force companies to seek out Russian producers and suppliers. Demand for local mechanical engineering and manufacturing will grow, for instance, and that area of the economy will begin develop intensively,” the vice rector argues. Moreover, this year the government is putting a series of state enterprises up for sale. This means work efficiency at these enterprises is likely to increase after they're transferred to private hands.

In other uplifting news, reports Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia's economy is rising in the rankings. Last year it was third from the bottom, not fourth.