THE BELL WEEKLY: The tussle for a billion-dollar stake in ‘Russia’s Amazon’ Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we reveal that the tussle for a major stake in “Russia’s Amazon” is preventing one of the most important investment firms in Russian history from leaving the country. We also look at the LGBT movement being labeled “extremist” and plans to make foreigners sign a loyalty
Russia tries to trigger a migration crisis on its border with Finland Paid Members Public
Russia has belatedly responded to Finland’s accession to NATO by attempting to engineer a migration crisis along the two countries’ shared border. Russian border guards have begun to allow hundreds of refugees from the Middle East without proper documentation to cross the Russian border with Finland. Helsinki responded by
How Putin's economic aide cherry-picks data for his reports Paid Members Public
Maxim Oreshkin, Vladimir Putin’s economic aide, gave a major interview to the Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid last week, in which he spouted figures showing that all is well in the Russian economy. He rarely resorted to using outright lies to make his argument, but he did cherry-pick and manipulate some
Russian authorities forced to save money on video surveillance Paid Members Public
As a result of the government’s budget deficit, the Russian authorities are keen to save money on anything they can that isn’t connected to the war effort or defense industry. This includes the creation of a national system of surveillance cameras, new plans show. Initially, Russia wanted to
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russians asked to pay for their own surveillance Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we look at a new proposal to build a national network of surveillance cameras. We also unpack some of the economic myths the Kremlin is telling itself, and the Russian people, ahead of next year’s presidential election, and look at why Russia is trying to engineer
The cost of a decade of confrontation Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we try to come up with a rough balance sheet for what a decade of aggression toward Ukraine has cost Russia and the Russian economy. We also look at the West’s
Seven years in jail for supermarket sticker protestor Paid Members Public
One of Russia’s longest and most controversial political trials since the start of the war reached its inevitable conclusion in a court in St. Petersburg last week. Artist Sasha Skochilenko, 33, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces.
Troll farms and sanctions: Russian opposition gripped by libertarian activist’s questionable reporting Paid Members Public
Over the past week, two big talking points have emerged around the Russian opposition — both triggered by political activist Mikhail Svetov, founder of the Russian Libertarian Party, which has found a niche among young Russians on Twitter. First, Svetov’s SVTV News reported on how leading Russian economists helped to
