YEKATERINBURG. June 17 (Interfax) - A senior aide to the Russian president suggested that the steep drop in industrial production in May reported by Rosstat on Tuesday was probably due to the smaller number of working days last month.

"The number of working days in May must be considered, because one day off can produce a drop of up to 3%," presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said.

"It is entirely possible that the published figure is directly tied to the number of working days in May," he said.

"According to our data, the pace of economic decline has stabilized. The situation is not getting worse, although it's not getting better either," Dvorkovich said.

"There is nothing critical. The situation could be described as stable but difficult," he said.

The decline in industrial production accelerated to 17.1% in May 2009 year-on-year from 16.9% in April and 13.7% in March, Rosstat reported on Tuesday.