Russia says inflation hits peak as crisis bites

Inflation in Russia has hit a zenith of around 17 percent, the economy minister said Thursday, as the economic crisis roiling the country takes its toll. "The peak in inflation has not passed but we have reached the highest point and will probably stay at this level for some time," minister Alexei Ulyukayev was reported as saying by Russian news agencies. Inflation has shot up in Russia as the ruble national currency plummeted in value on the back of Western sanction over Moscow's