The Potemkin village at this year’s SPIEF Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we focus on the atmosphere of enforced optimism at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. We also look at why the Central Bank believes the economy might
Why are the shares of stock market darling Magnit heading for junk? Paid Members Public
One of Russia’s top two retailers, Magnit, has always been one of the most popular stocks among investors in Russia. But this week, it was relegated from the top tier of the Moscow Exchange securities — entering in its third tier — after violating exchange rules. Investors suspect the company of
Erdogan won Turkey’s presidential election. What does this mean for the future of Russo-Turkish relations? Paid Members Public
It was close, but Turkey’s incumbent president Recep Erdogan secured 52% of the vote in the second round of presidential elections over the weekend. Moscow, which openly supported Erdogan, made no secret of its satisfaction with the outcome. We have written in detail about why the Kremlin supports Erdogan
Pro-Ukraine Russian nationalists are becoming a problem for the Kremlin Paid Members Public
Last week’s top story was an attack on the Belgorod region by anti-Kremlin Russian fighters backed by Ukraine. Russia’s Armed Forces spent a day-and-a-half repelling the raids in what was the most serious incursion into Russian territory since the war began. Unlike similar raids, this one could not
THE BELL WEEKLY: Border troubles Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the armed incursion in the Belgorod region by anti-Kremlin Russian nationalist fighters. We then turn to Erdogan’s victory in the Turkish presidential election over the weekend and discuss what implications it might have for Russia. Finally, we look at the recent drop
Could Russia lose one of its last ties to the global financial system? Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we focus on Russia’s possible blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which could mean the severing of one of its last ties to the global financial
'What civil society can do is limited': Timur Kuran on Turkey’s Elections and Lessons for Russia Paid Members Public
The debate over the trustworthiness of opinion polls in authoritarian countries like Russia has intensified following the invasion of Ukraine. Opinion polls, including those conducted by the Levada Center — an independent organization labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities — indicate approval for the war remains strong even over a
Russia bans Greenpeace Paid Members Public
Russia’s prosecutor general designated Greenpeace as an “undesirable” organization Friday, which effectively bans its members from working in Russia. According to the authorities, Greenpeace “poses a threat to the foundations of constitutional order and security” in the country, and, since the start of the war, it has “engaged in
