MOSCOW, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 9.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2009, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) said on Friday.

    The economy plummeted 23.2 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing a preliminary report of Rosstat.

    Andrei Klepach, a deputy economic development minister, said last month that Russia's GDP tumbled 9.5 percent in the first three months of this year.

    The International Monetary Fund forecast last month that Russian economy will plunge 6 percent in 2009 but grow 0.5 percent in 2010.