MOSCOW, June 4 (Reuters) - Russia's Economy Ministry has cut its economic growth forecast for this year because consumer demand is holding up less well than expected and due to other factors, the economy minister said in a newspaper interview.
The ministry's latest revised preliminary forecast was for the economy to shrink by 6 percent.
"We are looking at a potential decline in a 6-8 percent range," Economy Minister Elvira Nabiullina said in an interview with Vedomosti published on Thursday, ahead of the St Peterburg Economic Forum.
"The decrease in forecasts is because the world economy showed a greater decline than was forecast in January, and also because we had a greater decrease in consumer demand and investment." (Reporting by Melissa Akin; Editing by Jan Dahinten)